Apple Blossom Tea
by backlash symphony
Summary: A mission sends Itachi and Kisame to a tea shop in Konoha. Usually they would ignore the lustful gazes and terrified stares, but one particular roseate haired waitress will change everything Kisame came to know by treating him like a human being. KisaSaku
1. Apple Blossom Tea

Title: Apple Blossom Tea

Author: Backlash Symphony

Music: "Breakaway" by Kelly Clarkson

"Mobscene" by Marilyn Manson

"Turn Out the Lights" by Nelly Furtado

Summary: They entered silently, trying to stick to their usual plans; ignore everyone and be ignored in return. Usually, the women would blush at the brief view of Itachi's handsome face and cringe at the sight of Kisame. Normally, Itachi would disregard the lustful gazes and Kisame the terrified stares, but one particular roseate-haired waitress changed everything Kisame came to know by simply looking at him and not cowering in fear. Kisa/Saku

Disclaimer: I do not own "Breakaway" by Kelly Clarkson, "Mobscene" by Marilyn Manson, "Turn Out the Lights" by Nelly Furtado, and I especially do not own Naruto, for if I did, the show would be called "Sakura".

**WARNING: _Mentioned_ character death. _Mentioned_ rape.**

Once upon a time, there lived a drop-dead gorgeous princess in a grand castle. She was the star in the eyes of many men and few had the courage to approach her for her hand in marriage. Each one was turned down by the beautiful royalty. She was very lonely and she didn't enjoy her life in the slightest. She dreamt of the day when she would finally find the man who would sweep her off her feet and away from this hideous lifestyle of hers.

One dark stormy night, a handsome prince arrived at her doorstep...

We all know how that story ends. Happily ever after, right? That could be said about the story you're about to hear, but then again it's all a matter of opinion anyway. This story can be viewed as repulsive due to the never-changing unattractive features of one of our main characters or the fact that a beautiful girl fell in love with him at first sight. One could relate this story to Beauty and the Beast, but even that would be a stretch. So, why don't we just let you get to reading the story, then?

We've all had those days where everything just seems to go right, to fall into place perfectly. We've all had those days where we've felt like we've never had more energy to burn, those days where it's as if you've stumbled across a field filled with four-leaf clovers and sidewalks littered with head-up pennies. While you're too busy wondering about, enjoying the fact that nothing could make your day better -although deep down you're laughing because you _know_ it will- someone is having a day completely opposite to yours.

Unfortunately for Kisame Hoshigaki, today, just so happened to be the day he had officially declared as the worst day of his life. So far, he had been caught off guard and ambushed by Mist ANBU three times on his way to Konoha. Each occurrence required Itachi to save Kisame's ass before Kisame became too badly injured. He had fallen from the tree he was jumping on before he even landed on it. He had slipped on dry land and fallen backwards into a thorn bush he could've sworn wasn't there before. He had scared a little kid that was wondering around the forest with an ice cream cone -why a kid would be that deep in the forest with an ice cream cone, he had no idea- and his appearance caused the child to shriek at the top of his lungs, forcefully launch the snack in his hands at Kisame's face, and then run off, arms waving wildly in the air. He and Itachi had to leave immediately and by the time they came across a stream to wash the sticky food off of his face, the scorching sun had already been beating down on his skin for a few hours, causing the ice cream to, for some other reason he didn't get, harden on his skin.

The list of his misfortune continued on and on, but it would be a waste of time to explain each event.

Itachi and Kisame were headed to Konoha with the intentions of kidnapping a specific power-holding authority who owed the Akatsuki organization a hefty sum for their help in getting the man a title. However, Itachi had decided that they should get something to eat before they put their plan into action. They had about an hour and a half before they needed to be at the building that they knew their client would be occupying as well.

They entered silently, trying to stick to their usual plans; ignore everyone and be ignored in return. Usually, the women would blush at the brief view of Itachi's handsome face and cringe at the sight of Kisame. Normally, Itachi would disregard the lustful gazes and Kisame the terrified stares, and they took a seat in an empty booth in the corner. A small, quivering girl who couldn't have been older than fourteen carried two menus to their seats and quickly placed them on the table.

"Y-Your waitress w-will be with you i-in a moment," she stuttered before turning abruptly on her heel, shooting a lusty stare at Itachi, before fairly sprinting back to the shop entrance.

The two S-Class criminals picked up their menus, propping them open and reading over the contents. Kisame felt the stares and considered putting on one of his most malicious grins and showing the people who were afraid of him that they had more to fear than his looks, but decided otherwise and remained searching over the menu. He gave a small glance to Itachi who he knew felt the dreamy gazes from the females and mentally shook his head. He would never understand how the man managed to keep himself an ice cube during any situation, especially one as annoying as this.

The two spent a few minutes looking over the menus and Itachi had chosen what he would order. Kisame, however, had only just decided on a tuna sandwich when their waitress appeared. The first thing Kisame saw as he looked up was a young woman who appeared to be about seventeen. The next thing he saw was her hair. He looked shocked momentarily at the vibrant pink color and immediately thought it was dye. He couldn't possibly believe that it was _natural_. _No one_ has naturally pink hair. _No one_.

"Good evening, gentlemen, my name is Sakura and I'll be taking care you today," she said with a smile, glancing at the table, her smile faltered slightly. "Oh, I apologize, Shina is new here and she forgot to give you the list of teas we've just added to the shop." Sakura reached into her pocket and retrieved two sheets of paper with writing on them and set them in front of the two.

Itachi politely picked it up, scanning over it although his order was already in his head. Kisame, however, took one look at the list and immediately found what he wanted with a lopsided grin that revealed quite a few teeth. Itachi glanced at Sakura out of the corner of his eye, watching to see her reaction as she kept her gaze on Kisame. He had to admit he was fairly startled at her expression. Upon Kisame's grin, her smile grew.

'She didn't get scared of him,' Itachi thought.

"Apple Blossom!" Kisame said, shaking his head.

Itachi saw Sakura's smile shift down.

"Is there something wrong with it?" she asked softly, blinking.

"No, not at all," Kisame shook his head. "It's just so rare. No tea shop carries it."

Sakura smiled brightly, obviously relieved. She pulled her pen and pad of paper from her pocket.

"Apparently no one likes that specific type of tea. I was nearly on my knees begging the owner to add it to the menu thinking other people might find it interesting and give it a try." She shrugged. "So far, I'm still the only person in Konoha with Apple Blossom tea as their favorite." She cleared her throat, readying her pen and paper. "Anyway, are you ready to order or do you need a little more time before you make a decision?"

Itachi glanced at Kisame who he suddenly caught staring at Sakura, and he caught Sakura looking at him out of the corner of her eye. Immediately, his mind tuned in to something being wrong. This girl wasn't that same as the other people they'd come across. She was sweet, to the point of being nearly sickening. She didn't look at him with hopes of spending a night in his arms swimming in her mind and she didn't look at Kisame and stumble on her words in fear. He knew when people were lying, as well, and he couldn't detect a single hint of dishonesty in her actions and words.

That made him believe that she might just be a ninja, and a very good one at that. However, he still couldn't find anything wrong with her that would lead him to pursue that path of thought. Besides, any good shinobi should know who came from Konoha, and Itachi was right up there on the most-wanted list with Orochimaru. If she was a ninja, she would have to be pretty powerful to be able to leave a mark on him. Apart from that, if she _was_ a kunoichi that thought she could take him down, she would have to have a reputation, and he was quite positive that the first thing mentioned about her, before any of her abilities and skills, would be her hair color, and not only had he never even known pink was a possible color for people to have, but he had never heard of anyone with pink hair being a ninja.

"Sir?"

'Order.'

"My apologies," he said calmly, and proceeded with giving his order.

He watched her write his order down and give another genuine smile.

"I'll be back in a few minutes with your food," she said kindly before bowing politely.

She turned and headed back to a door that Itachi assumed was the kitchen and he turned his gaze onto Kisame who was musing over the conversation he had with Sakura.

"She's nothing like the other women," Itachi stated, placing his menu down.

Kisame gave a low chuckle.

"I noticed. My eardrums are still intact and I don't have any ice cream on my face," he said in a slightly amused voice. "Do you think she knows who we are?"

A few moments passed before Itachi answered.

"No," he said softly. "Do you think she looks familiar? Or does her name sound familiar?"

Kisame paused to think, closing his eyes while he thought. A few moments later, his eyes opened and he gave a grin. Itachi assumed he'd thought of something.

"Does Sakura _Haruno_ sound more familiar to you, Itachi?" Kisame asked, waiting for Itachi's reaction.

Almost immediately the name clicked in his brain and he nodded.

"She's a medic with skills said to be better than Tsunade's, the current Hokage," Itachi responded quietly.

Kisame sighed heavily, leaning back.

"It's a shame that she's a kunoichi," he said, laughing. "And here I was thinking she seemed too cute with her innocent behavior," he finished sarcastically. "So what do you plan we do?"

Itachi thought about it for a little bit before answering.

"We wait and see how she acts," he explained carefully. "If there is no other option, we fight."

Kisame nodded in agreement. About a minute later, Sakura came walking out of the kitchen with a tray that held both of their orders on it. She walked calmly towards their table, smile still in place, and arrived before them. She distributed their orders and collected their menus. As she brought herself to a turn to return the menus to Shina, Kisame brought up what he and Itachi had been discussing earlier.

"Your full name wouldn't happen to be Sakura Haruno, would it?" he asked innocently.

Sakura stopped mid-turn and moved to face him, a surprised look on her face.

"Yeah," she said, shocked. "How'd you know?"

"With a reputation like yours, it's a shock to me that I didn't recognize you when I first saw you," he said with a grin.

Her fingers grasped the tray tighter to her chest and a blush spread across the bridge of her nose and her upper cheeks.

"It's not _that_ good of a reputation," she said meekly.

"Are you still a ninja?" Itachi asked, sipping from his tea.

Sakura shook her head, the blush fading, her eyes hardening. She turned her head to see him.

"Not anymore. I came to the conclusion that I can help more people in a hospital than I can on the field," she explained. "I can see the effects of those battles every day when I'm put in charge of healing the men and women who get sent to me. I have enough problems to deal with on my own and I don't fancy the idea of falling victim to nightmares of me causing the wounds."

"But you can heal them without a problem?" Kisame asked, interested.

Sakura nodded, the blush returning to her cheeks without reason, something both men caught.

"I perform better as a medic but I haven't practiced anything shinobi related for about a year now," she said softly.

"Understandable," Itachi said lowly.

"If that's everything, I'll be getting to my other tables," she nodded at the two she received from Itachi and Kisame. "If you need anything, just ask."

With that, she was heading towards Shina and returning the menus. Shina gave a slight tug to Sakura's shirt and whispered something that set Sakura's face a fiery red. Her mouth fell open.

"Shina!" she exclaimed in a harsh whisper.

Shina gave a shrug and a light blush appeared on her face. Sakura quickly turned and headed back into the kitchen, mumbling something under her breath and shaking her head furiously as if to get rid of an image she had conjured. Kisame and Itachi were close to finishing their meals and Kisame had been watching Sakura out of the corner of his eye as she moved around the building, taking orders and being equally cheerful to all the other customers. He watched her slide into the kitchen one last time before he let the final sip of his tea slide down his throat.

He gave a soft sigh of contentment, and watched as Itachi took another sip of his tea. Before Kisame could even finish setting his cup down, Sakura reappeared by his side.

"Alright then, I hope everything was enjoyable. Here's your check," she said, placing the paper in the center of the table.

Sakura reached into her back pocket and revealed an envelope that appeared to be full of something. She placed it on the table in front of Kisame, picking up his empty dishes. She watched him move to pick it up and she smiled.

"Apple Blossom tea," she explained, moving to pick up Itachi's dishes. "It's on the house. Enjoy!" she exclaimed with a bright smile.

She left once again to return the dishes to the kitchen and Itachi shot Kisame a look. Kisame lifted open the flap and peeked inside. There had to be at least two dozen hand wrapped packages of Apple Blossom tea leaves. There was a small sheet of folded pink paper and he pulled it out, opening it up. His eyes scanned it and he chuckled slightly, pushing the paper back into the envelope and tucking it into his cloak pocket.

Itachi reached into his cloak and pulled out some bills and a few coins. He casually glanced out of the window nearest to him and saw that it was nearly completely dark. He knew they had roughly thirty minutes before they would make a move and he placed the money on the table. Kisame covered the tip for Sakura, and, making sure the envelope was securely hidden in his cloak, he nodded to Itachi before they disappeared in a gust of air.

After a few minutes, Sakura emerged from the kitchen carrying another table's order. After dealing with the two women, she moved to collect the money from the table Kisame and Itachi had occupied. As she went to put the two separated stacks of money together, she realized one was the payment, from Itachi, and the other was her tip, from Kisame. She counted how much she had been tipped and the tray she held to her chest fell with a clank to the floor. Her cheeks lit up with a pink blush and her mouth nearly dropped open.

Shina was quick to hurry over to Sakura who had fallen into Kisame's seat, holding the money for her tip in her hand, staring at it. Shina hastily bent down to pick the tray up before gently placing it on the table. She looked at Sakura with a worried expression and seated herself across from her pink-haired friend.

"Sakura, what's the matter?" she asked softly.

Sakura shook her head slowly, mouth moving to model words that she couldn't voice. She closed her eyes and handed the tip money towards Shina who hesitantly took it.

"Count it," Sakura whispered, holding her head in her hands.

Shina did so and her eyes widened. She looked at the rest of the money in Sakura's other hand, coming to a realization.

"They didn't match your tip with the taxes!" she groaned, feeling sorry for her friend.

Sakura shook her head and gave a high-pitched laugh.

"Oh, no, no, no, that's not it! What you're holding in your hand _is_ the tip," she explained. "What _I'm_ holding is the cost of the food they ate," she held up the money in her hand.

Shina's mouth dropped open and she stared, wide-eyed, at the money in her hand.

"You mean to tell me," she said quietly, "that they tipped you **one hundred** dollars!"

Sakura slouched back into her seat and nodded, giving a soft chuckle.

"Apparently so."

Shina handed the money back to Sakura who stuffed it into her pocket before sighing.

"Sakura, Shina, the boss needs you for trash duty," a blonde with blue eyes said, walking over to the table they were at, smacking her gum loudly.

Sakura groaned as she got to her feet.

"Thanks, Ino," she mumbled and Shina followed her back into the kitchen again.

Sakura pulled a card from a box sitting by the wall and stapled her order sheet to it, signing her name at the bottom and sliding it into a small envelope with the money Itachi had used to pay for the meal. She and Shina then proceeded to the back of the tea shop and each grabbed three bags of garbage to take out to the dumpsters in the alleyway.

"So how long do we wait until he comes out?" Kisame asked in a bored tone, leaning against the alley wall.

Itachi remained silent for a moment, doing the same on the opposite wall as Kisame.

"Twenty minutes."

Before Kisame could say anything, the door to the back entrance of the tea shop was kicked open and the two Akatsuki members swiftly jumped to the rooftop, watching below them. Sakura and Shina walked out, each carrying multiple garbage bags, and were arguing about something. Sakura released her bags in front of the dumpster, moving to push it open.

"I'm telling you, that man -if you would call him that- was _totally_ into you!" Shina said loudly and somewhat disgustedly. "It actually looked like you two were _flirting_!"

Sakura's frustrated groan filled the alleyway and the dumpster opened with a violent metallic sound.

"Kisame! Kis-a-me! Would it kill you to call him by his name!" she nearly shouted.

Shina took a step or two back as Sakura violently tossed a bag of trash in the dumpster.

"Why are you getting all worked up over it? It's not like you'll see it again," Shina said casually.

"Oh, I don't know, Shina," Sakura ground out. "Maybe I don't like the fact that you're insulting him when you don't even know him!"

Shina laughed.

"Like you know him any more than I do? Sakura, don't tell me you actually _like_ fish-boy..." she said in an amused tone.

Sakura dropped the trash bag she was holding, turning her head slowly to glare at Shina. Her hands moved to her hips.

"First-off, **_don't_** call him fish-boy! It's **Kisame**, get it right! I know you can at least pretend to have more brain cells than you really do if you can pretend to be innocent," Sakura snapped. "Second, who are you to tell me I don't know him enough to like him? We had a short conversation that showed me he's someone who appreciates good tea! Apart from that he has a pretty good sense of humor. Third, and most importantly, you," she jabbed a finger at Shina's collarbone, "you didn't even say a _word_ to Itachi but that didn't stop you from drooling all over him!"

"At least he was attractive!" Shina huffed, slapping Sakura's hand away.

"Attractive?" Sakura snorted. "Are you kidding me? You're calling Kisame terrifying? Itachi is the one who's terrifying!"

"Why?" Shina shrieked. "Because he has the Sharingan? Because he reminds you of Sasuke?"

The tension in the air quadrupled and Sakura fought to keep her breathing under control.

"If anything, I would beg Itachi to kill his bastard of a younger brother so I wouldn't need to see his damn face ever again," Sakura said bitterly.

"Oh, come off it! You know you want Sasuke! It's impossible not to," Shina pressed.

"You have a point," Sakura said in a defeated tone, but quickly her voice changed to sarcasm. "He only shut me down and brushed me off, called me annoying and knocked me out before leaving me on a cold bench, _in the middle of the night_. Oh, yeah, the one thing I look forward to in every man I decide to crush on."

Shina gave an exasperated sigh.

"Oh, just because _you_ didn't get the good end of him-"

"That _was_ the good end of him," Sakura interrupted flatly. "Believe me. The only chance you'll ever have with him is if he decides to stop pursuing his brother -_which'll never happen_- to skip ahead and recreate the Uchiha clan -_for which you have no chance since you aren't a ninja_- or he actually kills Itachi -_which also won't happen_- and needs a wife to produce heirs -_which he will only choose if she's a strong ninja_-. Trust me; you don't stand a chance with anyone from the Uchiha clan."

Shina pouted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You're so mean," she whined.

Sakura sighed and heaved another trash bag into the dumpster.

"And so is life. Get used to it."

Silence drew between the two women as they piled the rest of the trash into the dumpster. Sakura's eyes held a distant glaze to them and Shina merely glared at Sakura from the corner of her eye for shattering her fantasies of settling down with the Uchiha avenger. Itachi admitted to himself to be mildly amused with the conversation they had but knew Sakura was hiding something. It soon became out in the open.

"Shina, do you want to know why Itachi terrifies me?" she asked softly.

Shina nodded and Sakura sighed.

"You've never been on the receiving end of the Tsukyomi, have you?" she asked quietly.

Shina shot her a confused look.

"Suki whatty?"

"It's the final achievable stage of the Sharingan. In order to obtain it, you need to kill your best friend. It was supposed to be me who died but Naruto just has to stick his head where it doesn't belong sometimes," she explained sadly. "He captures your gaze," she said, "and pulls you into a world he creates. He can do whatever pleases with you for an equivalent of seventy-two hours, all in your mind; of course, while in the present world only three seconds go by."

Shina's shocked gasp reached Sakura's ears and she watched as Shina brought her hands up to cover her mouth.

"Oh my God!" she gasped. "He did that to you?"

Sakura nodded and fell back to lean against the wall, closing her eyes. Her lips curved into a frown as brief flashes of her experience attacked her mind.

"It was a pain that was indescribable because each day he changed it to a different type of pain and every hour became a new method," she explained slowly, mentally sinking back into the memories. "It hurts a lot more to lose your virginity over and over again in your head than it does to lose it once in real life."

"Oh, _Sakura_, he...he actually..." Shina whispered in disbelief.

"Yep. One day straight of repeatedly losing my virginity," she gave a harsh laugh. "Sasuke is more of a pervert than the Ero-Sannin," she said with a small smile. "I gotta hand it to him, he has quite the imagination despite what I'd always thought." She sighed. "Still, men and their one-track minds. Just grow up already!"

"So, what happened _after_?" Shina asked, fear in her voice.

"Well, like Kakashi, my ex-sensei, I was sent into the hospital for a long time," she said slowly. "About, eight or nine months, I think. I know that the damage done to me was so horrific that I would never be able to be a kunoichi again so I basically dropped that lifestyle and switched mainly to being a medic. Although I still have the monstrous strength I learned from Tsunade..."

"Sakura..."

Sakura gave a reassuring smile to Shina.

"Don't worry about it. I suppose you could say I got what I wanted even if it was in only in my head, and now the only thing I have left to wish is that Itachi kills him when he sees him again, because if I see him alive, it'll be _my_ turn to mess with his head," she said before striking a thoughtful pose. "Actually, I could probably even take his Sharingan _out_." She smiled darkly. "Yeah, I think I'll do that if I ever see him again. While he's fully awake, too. That should knock some sense into that thick skull of his."

"You would really do that, Sakura?" Shina said, taking a step back.

Sakura laughed at her friend's behavior.

"It's fun to dream," she said, amused. "Besides, Kisame is like Gaara and Naruto to me. They all had a demon inside of them. With Naruto gone and Gaara's demon already having been extracted, Kisame is the only one I know of that carries a demon inside of him."

"Oh! Is that why you don't have a problem with him?" Shina asked, understanding flooding her voice.

"I know the effects the demons have on the outside body. Personally, I never had a problem with it even before I found out about Naruto having the Kyuubi in him, but it made it a lot easier to understand once I figured it out," she explained. "Now, why don't we get back inside before the boss gets pissy?"

The two girls headed back in and once Itachi and Kisame were sure they had gone, they started talking. Itachi looked amused and Kisame looked somewhat sick. Had Sasuke really done something like that? He didn't want to think about Sakura's condition after being forced through that many hours of suffering. Itachi was drinking those thoughts in with one thought on his mind.

"Perhaps this time he'll finally be strong enough..."

Sakura folded the fresh bills from her recently cashed paycheck and pushed them deeply into her coat pocket. She took a deep breath of the cool night air and looked to the sky for a beautiful view of the full moon and the twinkling stars. She decided she would pay a visit to the memorial to say goodnight to Naruto before she headed home. She headed silently along the road and into the part of the land that held the stone memorial.

As Sakura walked closer and closer, however, the sight of a dark colored lump and the scent of blood grew nearer. She was torn between rushing to whoever it was that needed medical help and taking it slow in the event that it was just a trap. She shoved aside all her worrying thoughts and sprinted forward, a gasp wrenching from her lips once she saw who was leaning against the memorial stone.

"Kisame?" she whispered harshly, disbelieving.

"Fancy meeting you here, Blossom," he joked, chuckling wetly.

Sakura instantly kicked into medic mode and slid out of her coat, hastily folding it and laying it across the memorial stone. She rushed to Kisame's side.

"What happened?" she asked, lifting her hands to start unclasping his Akatsuki robes.

He let out a long, heavy sigh.

"Mission went wrong," he mumbled.

Sakura removed the black cloak and cringed at the sight of his side which was coated thickly with blood. She looked as best as she could under the darkness that covered everything and assumed he'd had a chunk of flesh taken out by what she could only guess was a butcher's knife, and if not that, then another sword like his though thinner. She rolled her eyes and pressed her fingers together to form some seals. Once she finished, she could see much better.

"Alright," she sighed, "I'll heal you."

She saw Kisame grin.

"I knew you would."

"Shirt, take it off. I won't go near that wound if you've got material near it," she instructed, watching as Kisame cast her a hesitant look before lifting his shirt by the hem.

Sakura noted his wince as he pulled the muscles on his injured side but managed to completely pull his shirt off, tossing it to the side. He looked back at her expectantly. She noted that his blue skin seemed to become illuminated beneath the moonlight but quickly forced her mind back onto the task at hand.

"Lay down on your uninjured side, please, or somewhat on your back," she said, giving him a gentle push.

As Kisame made a move to lay down on his back, he mentally told himself that he had never felt more awkward in his life. Sakura hovered over his side and her hands began to glow a bright green with her healing chakra. She looked down at him, the awkward feeling swimming around in her eyes.

"Ready?"

Kisame nodded and she pressed her hands against his wounded flesh and beginning to probe the cut with her chakra. She noted how his muscles tensed. She frowned slightly.

"Just relax, Kisame," she said in the best soothing voice she could muster.

It worked, surprisingly, for his muscles relaxed and she immediately began to knit the cells back together to form tissue so she could heal him. The cells pulled together and stitched up the opening, the parts of his organs that had been hit completely healed. Within five minutes, his entire side was closed up and all that remained was the blood on his skin which a few seals made disappear. She pulled back, admiring her work.

"Good as new!" she said quietly, though cheerfully.

Kisame reached for his shirt, finding that the blood on it had disappeared and the hole had been closed. She cast a questioning glance at Sakura who shrugged knowingly and smiled. He shrugged as well and pulled it back on, the black forcing him to blend in once again with the surrounding area. Next came the Akatsuki cloak. Sakura sighed as he simply sat there, watching her watch him. His back was pressed against the side of the memorial stone with one leg bent up at the knee and the other straight out on the grass. They didn't move for what seemed like hours, but was really only minutes. Sakura was the one who broke the silence.

"I should probably get going," she said softly, remaining sitting.

Kisame nodded in agreement.

"I should, too."

Once again, neither moved to leave, but remained staring at the other. Before Sakura knew what she was doing, however, she was crawling towards Kisame and sitting next to him, leaning against the leg he had upright. She was staring right at his face with a soft smile gracing hers.

"Can I feel your skin?" she asked suddenly, watching him with excitement blazing in her emerald orbs.

His expression must've amused her for she started laughing slightly.

"Just a feel," she promised and he reluctantly nodded.

Her fingers moved towards his face and grazed across his cheek. Her smile widened and she pulled back.

"I knew it, it's the same as Naruto and Gaara!" she said happily. "It only looks that way but it feels like normal skin."

Kisame nodded slowly.

"Gotcha..."

Sakura sighed and leaned back a little, looking up at the sky.

"I guess I'll get going, then. You shouldn't keep Itachi waiting," she said softly with an underlying tone of sadness.

She got to her knees and then rose to her feet, stretching. She leaned down to grasp her coat and then turned to face Kisame. Her expression was puzzling to the missing-nin and before he could get a word in, he found Sakura's lips pressed against his cheek. He made a startled sound and Sakura giggled, holding her lips against his skin for a few more moments until she finally pulled away. She straightened and looked down at him.

"See ya around, I guess," she said with a sad, lopsided smile.

Kisame didn't reply as Sakura turned her back and walked home, feeling surprisingly better than she had in a long time. Kisame held a hand up to his cheek, over the spot where her lips had been, a shocked and confused expression on his features.

"What just happened?" he asked himself softly.

"She healed you and then kissed you, if I'm not mistaken," Itachi's voice said from next to Kisame.

"Right. That girl _really_ makes no sense," he grumbled, standing on his feet and picking up his sword from across the memorial stone.

"Ironic, isn't it?" Itachi asked. "You finally find a girl who isn't afraid of you and not only is she a year younger than the legal level-"

"Stupid law."

"-but she's quite the law-abiding citizen who has her eyes on a dead Sasuke."

Kisame knew he would've laughed had it not been a direct link to him. He sighed and turned, heading for the forest.

"Perhaps she's the girl that the rumors boast about," Itachi said to himself. "Perhaps she's the girl that can fix nearly anything because she doesn't see something until she really sees it..."

Itachi went to follow Kisame who was waiting for him at the opening to the forest. The two headed off in a blur, melting in with the darkness. Itachi clutched a brown sack in his hand with bloodstains on it, knowing the mission was finished and they didn't have to fight anyone from Konoha. Kisame was barely paying any attention as his thoughts strayed to Sakura and the small note she had given him with the envelope filled with Apple Blossom tea leaves.

_Kisame Hoshigaki,_

_It's funny how we notice things we've never really noticed before, or how we remember things but brush them aside. I suppose you could say this is one of those times. I have no intentions of turning you or Itachi in. I would much rather see you out of Konoha doing whatever it is that you do in Akatsuki. I'd always wondered what it would be like to be a part of such an organization, but sadly, I am no longer capable of such intense combat you probably go through every day._

_It's a good thing to know that someone else likes Apple Blossom tea, so enjoy this while it lasts! You wouldn't mind sharing some Akatsuki stories with me, would you?_

_Sakura Haruno_

_416 Oakwood Drive_

_Konoha, Fire Country 25631_

_Stay safe!_

_Sakura_

Kisame chuckled softly as his thoughts rerouted. Alright, so maybe today _wasn't_ the worst day of his life. No, scratch that. It had turned out to be the _best_.

-Clears throat with a nervous chuckle- Um, yeah, so I wanted to take this one for a try. Kisame and Sakura! Who would've come up with something this crazy but me? Apparently no one can think of things like this. And did you know what I just thought of? Although I love the ItachiSakura pairing to bits -though OrochimaruSakura is without a doubt the best pairing out there- I don't see much of a connection between the two. I understand that she would be able to heal his eyes but an actual relationship that _isn't_ him completely dominating her and forcing her to bend to his will really doesn't make much sense. It _is_ Itachi, ya'know?

-Sighs- Anyway, I hope you don't mind my horrible butchering of Kisame. I've read a lot of fics with him and the majority of them portray him as a pretty easygoing guy who likes to drink a lot. A few said he was incredibly evil with his eyes on devouring Sakura but I found the easy-going attitude more believable. I mean, look at Deidara! He's nice for the most part! And I butchered Sakura, too, I apologize. Killing Naruto actually killed _me_ and I apologize for that as well, but, Sasuke needed the Mangekyou and Sakura needed to live. I don't apologize for Sasuke's behavior when he used the Tsukyomi because Sasuke is a stupid emo bastard and I really can't stand him in the slightest!

Ahem, anyway, please review and let me know how I did, 'kay? Thanks! Till later!

Backlash Symphony


	2. Mission Time Blues

Title: Apple Blossom Tea

Chapter Title: Mission-Time Blues

Author: Backlash Symphony

Music: "Seishun Kyousoukyoku" (Naruto 5th Opening)

"Goodnight and Go" by Imogen Heap

Summary: They entered silently, trying to stick to their usual plans; ignore everyone and be ignored in return. Usually, the women would blush at the brief view of Itachi's handsome face and cringe at the sight of Kisame. Normally, Itachi would disregard the lustful gazes and Kisame the terrified stares, but one particular roseate-haired waitress changed everything Kisame came to know by simply looking at him and not cowering in fear. Kisa/Saku

**WARNING: Itachi could quite possibly be OOC. It's your call. Also, I suppose you could say there's some ItaSaku in this chapter but I don't mean for it to be intentionally crush-related like it is with Kisame. They're friends, for lack of a better term.**

Disclaimer: I do not own "Seishun Kyousoukyoku" (Naruto 5th Opening), "Goodnight and Go" by Imogen Heap, and I especially do not own Naruto, for if I did, the show would be called "Sakura".

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Timeframe: 6 Months After Itachi and Kisame Came To Konoha

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Sakura gaped at Tsunade who sat at her desk, fingers bridged beneath her chin, looking as casually at her as if she were paying attention to the clouds. Shizune stood by Tsunade's side, faithfully holding the infamous "talking" pig in her arms as she smiled happily at Sakura. She honestly couldn't believe it. Sakura hadn't been a ninja for at least a year and a half and Tsunade was sending her on a mission?

"You've taken up training again, these past six months, Sakura," Tsunade explained, knowing the look on her ex-student's face quite well. "You've improved quite a bit despite what we thought." She smiled soothingly. "If you keep this up, you might just be close to how you were in a little more than a year."

Sakura blushed, smiling on her own. It was true she had been training these past six months. Ever since she saw Kisame, ever since she placed that kiss on his cheek, something in her set on fire. She wanted to go back to being the same kunoichi that people looked up to for her strength and her heart, for her courage and her ability to withstand all of the comments on her being weak long enough to prove everyone wrong. She found herself owing it to Naruto who she knew would kick her ass right then and there for waiting so long to train. But she had started again and was just shy of the average chuunin level skill.

Sakura nodded her head and straightened her back, ready to receive the orders for her mission from Tsunade and Shizune.

"Very well," Tsunade said. "I want you to travel to the Hidden Village of Sand to visit Gaara and deliver a scroll to him for me."

"He'll sign it and give it to you to bring back here to Tsunade," Shizune finished, the scroll somehow appearing in her hand.

"It's a simple mission and the scroll isn't incredibly important so you shouldn't have any trouble with enemies," Tsunade added, standing.

Sakura nodded and accepted the scroll from Shizune. She bowed lightly and turned, running for the door.

"Thank you so much, Tsunade!" she called out before slipping through the doors and out of the room.

Tsunade shook her head, leaning against her desk. Shizune let Ton Ton walk around on the floor.

"She'd definitely make Sasuke jealous if he saw her now," she said softly.

Shizune nodded in agreement, resting her head on her chin thoughtfully.

"First she has to see Naruto get murdered right in front of her eyes when she was supposed to be the one who died, then Sasuke went ahead and used his newly found power on her to its fullest, leaving her hospitalized for nearly nine months, and then she has to go through the pain of knowing she'll never be a kunoichi again because her body is destroyed far beyond any medical help," Shizune said with a sad sigh.

"And within six months she's already nearly back to her chunnin level," Tsunade remarked, pride in her voice. "Although Kakashi didn't have to do much to get back to his original status, it still took him a lot longer than six months to get there."

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Sakura had left Konoha and was incredibly excited to finally get out. She had taken in all the scenery with a new set of eyes to see with. She had set up camp for the first night and had gone to sleep easily. It wasn't until about two hours after she dreamt of Sasuke getting beaten into a pulp when she realized she wasn't alone. Using her chakra, she sensed about six or seven men surrounding her tent. She didn't have nearly enough time to prepare herself before the tent was ripped to shreds by dozens of kunai and shuriken. Her body was dragged out, thrashing and fists aiming for faces to punch, but something hit her hard in the back of her head, freezing her movements as a pained sound erupted from her throat.

She was dropped to the ground, eyes barely able to see through the thick blanket of darkness around her, only feel the sticky blood as it slid down her head and between her strands of hair. The men talked to each other in words that she couldn't understand. It was when she felt someone slicing away the material of her shirt that everything clicked in her otherwise muddled brain. They were going to rape her and then most likely kill her. She couldn't move, she could barely see, but she didn't want to fall victim to something like this again.

And she didn't have to.

A few moments later there was a sudden breeze that left her shivering before the man touching her disappeared. She heard somewhat muted cries and screams as she stared, dazed, at the starry night sky. She felt an arm slide under her shoulders and one under her knees and her eyes shifted to see dark blue skin and beady black eyes. She forced the corners of her lips to make a smile and tried to form a word to pass through her suddenly dry throat.

"Kisame..." she whispered, the last thing she said before passing out in his arms.

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Sakura groaned softly as sunlight hit her eyes. Her head was throbbing horrendously, as if she'd just gone out and gotten drunk off her ass like she knew Ino did. She squinted her eyes closer together, hoping that it might stop the flood of light, but it didn't do anything. She made an attempt to roll over but found herself held against something hard. She opened her eyes wide enough to be slits and attempted to move once again, but froze when she saw who was sleeping what she figured to be about two feet away from her.

Itachi.

Her eyes widened as the memories from last night came washing through her mind.

'If Itachi is _there_, then where's Kisame?' she thought frantically.

"Quit moving around so much," Kisame's voice came from above her, yet on the same level as her.

She tried to look and see where he was but immediately realized where _she_ was, or for an easier explanation, in his arms. Her eyes widened out of embarrassment and shock. She was in a man's arms, _sleeping_, and she'd only met him once. Not only that, but _he _was sleeping with _her_, his own choice. She slowly squirmed herself into a position on her back, noting that the object holding her was actually Kisame's arm, and it flopped onto her stomach.

She looked down, blinking twice as her thoughts returned to her. She sighed before turning once again so she faced Kisame. Closing her eyes, she snuggled up to his side and was instantly asleep once again.

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When Sakura woke up the second time, it was because someone was shaking her awake. She opened one of her eyes to look at whoever it was and caught a sightful of red and black. She squeaked in surprise and shot into a sitting position, eyes wide in fear. She began a hesitant crawl back.

"I-Itachi-"

She saw his hand move and immediately closed her eyes, turning her head away, expecting him to use his Sharingan or to hit her. However, what she experienced next shocked her beyond all belief. She heard Itachi chuckle softly, though in amusement, and she felt his hand gently ruffling her hair. Her eyes snapped open and she stared at the mass murderer that was crouched before her. Her mouth must've dropped open at some point because she heard Kisame's voice cut across the woods.

"It's rude to gawk, Sakura!" he called out.

Sakura shook her head as Itachi removed his hand, standing and turning to face Kisame who she could see was holding a bucket. Sakura also noted that neither one of the men was wearing their Akatsuki robes, clad only in their black shirts and pants. She shook her head slowly from side to side.

"I definitely got hit harder than I thought I did," she muttered, causing Kisame to laugh.

"Itachi isn't as bad as the rumors are, but don't tell anybody that," Kisame explained. "We already have enough hunter-nins on our trail as it is."

Sakura nodded her head slowly, though she found that rather hard to believe. Afterall, Itachi _did_ kill his entire clan apart from Sasuke. He forced Sasuke to endure the Tsukuyomi as it replayed his clan's deaths over and over again. Then he told him he didn't hate him enough to kill him and thus sealed Sasuke's fate as an avenger. Despite the fact that he had _that_ as a point on his reputation, he had murdered countless shinobi over the years with ease and no remorse whatsoever. He was also going to kidnap Naruto.

"Uh huh," she mumbled, voice seemingly distant.

"Oh well, it was worth a shot," Itachi said, sighing.

Kisame laughed in response and Sakura reached a hand around to gingerly touch the back of her head. She found bandages before she found hair. Her eyes widened slightly and she winced at the thought of all the blood that had to be on her clothes. Apparently, Itachi was more intune to her wants than she was.

"There's a river about two minutes to the north," he said, walking towards her. "You can borrow a shirt so you can wash yours," he finished, holding out a black shirt that was identical to the one he was currently wearing.

Sakura, slightly surprised, hesitantly took the shirt and managed to smile, but still refused to look Itachi in the eye. She slowly got to her feet, testing to see how much she could balance and coordinate before she made any sudden movements.

"Thank you," she said quietly, and she began walking over what appeared to be a roll-up matt and to where she assumed was north.

When Sakura was out of sight, Itachi sighed and looked towards Kisame. The shark-like man shook his head and began to impale fish on sticks to be roasted.

"Perhaps I will do as she wishes," Itachi said softly, watching the direction Sakura had left in. "Although I use Mangekyou Sharingan sometimes when it isn't needed, I don't abuse it like she described Sasuke having done."

Kisame let out a snort-like laughter.

"Itachi, you've never even _thought_ of raping someone," he said. "If you did, I know you'd never forgive yourself."

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Sakura winced as she pulled the final bit of bandage from her head and set it to the side. She pressed her fingers to the wound and pushed her chakra through her fingertips, healing the cut in a matter of seconds. She cringed at the dried blood in her hair and immediately began to scrub it from her pink tresses in the river. Red-pink water moved downstream as she washed, making sure she removed every bit of blood. She pulled her head back out and squeezed the water from her hair.

After a quick glance around she lifted off her shirt and washed away what she could of the blood, though there wasn't much to begin with. In order to prevent a cold and to help dry her shirt faster, she didn't put it back on. She took the shirt Itachi had offered her and, eyeing it warily, she put it on, noting that it was a few sizes too big on her and hung down to the middle of her thighs. She laughed slightly.

'Funny, he really doesn't look all that tall to me...'

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Sakura arrived back at the campsite and noticed the fish cooking by the fire as well as Kisame tossing a scroll from one hand to the other. As if noticing Sakura was about to shout at him for playing with her scroll that she needed for a mission, he tossed it towards her. She nearly dropped her wet shirt in order to catch the scroll. She gave a sigh of relief as she wrapped her fingers around it.

"So where are you headed with that, anyway?" Kisame asked, turning a fish to face the other side.

"Hidden Sand Village," she said casually, looking around at her surroundings.

Apparently they had cleared her things, packed them up, and set up their things in place of hers. In better terms, she could leave at that very moment.

"You're about an hour away," Itachi said calmly, staring at a tree in the distance and playing with a shuriken in his fingers.

Or maybe not.

"Really? Uh, thanks, I suppose," she said softly, "although I really appreciate the fact that you saved me, aren't I interrupting your mission?"

"Not really," Kisame mumbled.

"Oh."

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Sakura smiled happily at Gaara who handed the scroll back to her, a small smile of his own gracing his lips. The scroll was signed and now all Sakura had to do was return to Konoha and hand it over to Tsunade.

"Tell Hinata to expect a visit from me in three weeks, would you please?" Gaara added as Sakura was nearly out the door.

Sakura giggled and nodded.

"You two _really_ are so cute together," she muttered, noting the incredibly faint blush on Gaara's cheeks.

He nodded and Sakura headed off, already on her way back to Konoha.

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"Well, this is my stop," Sakura said sadly.

She turned to face the two Akatsuki members who had escorted her back home. The two nodded at her.

"Thanks again for everything you've done for me. I really wasn't expecting so much trouble over something as stupid as a private party invitation," she said with a small laugh.

"Not a problem, though we should probably get back to our mission," Itachi explained, nodding his head.

Sakura nodded in response before taking a step forward and planting a kiss on Itachi's cheek. She took a step to the side and repeated the action on Kisame's cheek. She pulled back with a faint blush and gave a smile.

"Goo'bye!"

Sakura was off before she could get a response, jogging on the path towards her village. She took a look over her shoulder and saw that Kisame and Itachi were no longer standing there, and it was only then that she realized how much trouble she could've gotten into if she had been caught with them.

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"Ah, wonderful, Sakura," Tsunade exclaimed, taking the scroll from Sakura. "I trust you had no problems?"

Sakura contained a smirk.

"Nope. Not a one."

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Yeah, so this whole story was supposed to be a one-shot but I guess since you guys liked it so much I figured I'd add a few more chapters of individual parts in what one could say would be Kisame and Sakura's relationship. It won't actually be a continous chapter forms a story thing, just random chapters. I do, however, have this planned out to be about four or five chapters long with what I've got written in my head so far:

Chapter 1: Apple Blossom Tea

Sakura meets Kisame in the tea shop she works at.

Chapter 2: Mission-Time Blues

Sakura is attacked on a mission and Kisame saves her.

Chapter 3: Round Robin

Sakura catches her boyfriend cheating on her and Kisame is the one to catch her as she falls.

Chapter 4: Intolerable Cruelty

Sakura's parents die on a mission and Kisame is forced to come to a decision about Sakura.

Chapter 5: I Do, But Only For You

Sakura is getting married in the morning and Kisame can't stand the fact that it's not to him, thus deciding to take matters into his own hands.

That'll be the entire fic, so I hope you guys all enjoy it!

Thanks for all the reviews! Don't forget to review again this time! Till later!

Backlash Symphony


	3. Round Robin

Title: Apple Blossom Tea

Chapter Title: Round Robin

Author: Backlash Symphony

Music: "Embers of Love" by Imogen Heap

Summary: They entered silently, trying to stick to their usual plans; ignore everyone and be ignored in return. Usually, the women would blush at the brief view of Itachi's handsome face and cringe at the sight of Kisame. Normally, Itachi would disregard the lustful gazes and Kisame the terrified stares, but one particular roseate-haired waitress changed everything Kisame came to know by simply looking at him and not cowering in fear. Kisa/Saku

**WARNING: Sai will most likely get butchered in this chapter. I apologize for I never actually saw him before. All I've heard is that he calls Sakura ugly and makes fun of Naruto's penis. He looks nearly identical to Sasuke but he also acts nearly identical. If I'm wrong on any of those points feel free to tell me, but please don't yell at me. -Cowers in fear- Also, another mention of rape.**

Disclaimer: I do not own "Embers of Love" by Imogen Heap and I especially do not own Naruto, for if I did, the show would be called "Sakura".

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Timeframe: 1 Year After Sakura's Mission (Sakura is now 19)

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This was ridiculous. Sakura knew it and she was positive she knew why it had gotten to this specific point.

This was unbelievable. Sakura could list all the things in her mind that pressed this to be unbelievable.

This was wrong. Sakura could feel the heart-wrenching feeling in not only her chest but her gut and she witnessed the crime before her.

This was _Sai_. Sakura couldn't imagine him finding an interest in her "ugly" self but he had and here he was finding an interest in someone else.

On a bed that was their own.

In sheets that were a gift from her mother before they moved in together.

With crystal wine glasses that she had inherited from her grandmother.

Drinking a bottle of aged wine her father had given her to keep for her wedding night.

A woman that didn't have her pink hair.

The ceramic plates she had just bought that were sitting in a bag between her fingers began to feel heavier and heavier and she could feel them slipping from her freshly manicured hands. With each passing moment she watched Sai's naked back ripple with the exerted muscles. Each passing moment she saw the woman beneath him arch her back, pushing her full breasts into Sai's sculpted chest. She noted how perfectly their hips fit together, how each thrust forced a squeak-like sound out of her puffy lips, soft gasps forcing her chest harder against Sai. Fingers clenched sheets and his lips trailed firey kisses over her smooth tan skin.

The dishes dropped from her hands and shattered loudly on the floor beside Sakura's foot. She stood there for moments of silence that stretched on forever. Emerald eyes stared unmoving at the scrambling bodies of her boyfriend and his lover. They noted mutely that Sai showed no emotion on his face and was perfectly aware that his face had barely shifted to morph into Sasuke's.

It was then that everything attacked her senses. She didn't say a word as tears welled up in her eyes and she swiftly turned on her heel, walking out of the bedroom door. Right before she turned to go down the stairs she reached a hand into her pocket and retrieved a small key, tossing it onto the rug in his bedroom.

"I won't be needing that anymore," she said calmly, though her voice wavered, it never cracked.

She was out of his house before he could tell her to stop and hear him out. Perhaps he wouldn't have anyway? Perhaps he knew that if he tried to force her to put up with the "truth" this soon he'd find himself burried in a pile of wall plaster six buildings back? Or maybe he just didn't have anything to say. Maybe he just didn't _care_.

Like Sasuke.

She arrived at her apartment within a minute -she hadn't been here in a few months since her last fight with Sai but kept it since it was good for alone time when people continuously stopped over at Sai's to see them- door kicked open, keys dropped to the floor and door _left_ open. Sakura flung herself onto her bed and was sobbing before she even landed on the sheets. Her arms snaked around one of her pillows and she cried, tears soaking the delicate lace fabric. Her body, on instinct, curled into a ball and she stayed in that position, crying her heart out, for hours. She eventually cried herself to sleep.

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She felt fingers running through her somewhat tangled pink tresses and her brows furrowed. Her eyes remained closed as the memories hit her full-force, bringing a fresh wave of tears to hide behind her eyelids.

"Sai," she began, voice exhausted, "if you don't get your filthy hands off of me and get out of my house this _instant_, I'll beat your pathetic excuse for a body until it's beyond medical help. That way I can rest assured knowing you won't cheat on any future girlfriends since you'll be too hideous to get one."

The hand slid over her shoulders, giving one a firm squeeze. She heard a chuckle that sounded nothing like Sai. Her eyes snapped open and she made an attempt to roll over to begin an attack when the hand moved down one of her arms, holding onto her hand. She gasped when she finally shifted to be able to see who it was.

"Kisame?" she whispered, eyes wide with confusion written on her face.

Said man grinned, teeth glinting in the dim light of the room.

"Kisame!" she cried, launching off the bed to wrap her arms around him.

He made a soft "oof" sound upon the original impact but relaxed as she burried her face into his chest, excitedly squirming as one of his arms moved to wrap around her. He was big enough that one of his arms could completely hug her while she couldn't even touch her fingertips behind his back using both arms. He could feel her smiling against him and he felt tears soak into his shirt.

"I missed you so much!" came her muffled voice.

He chuckled again, loving the way she settled and fit against his body so comfortably. He ruffled her hair with his free hand and looked down.

"It'd get suspicious if I started disappearing from work and all the shinobi here got their bodies set on fight mode every time they walked past your house," he explained. "Wouldn't want you to get put under ANBU surveillance."

Sakura pulled back from him a few inches, pressing her hands to his chest as she looked up at him. She was laughing softly.

"Nice to know you cared," she whispered somewhat sadly.

Kisame shook his head, sighing heavily. He knew that tone and he knew the reason why Sakura was using it. Her boyfriend was screwing some other woman when they were in a relationship.

"That copy boy, right? The one whose name means sword or somethin' like that?" he muttered.

Sakura eyes widened upon hearing that Kisame knew what it was. Something clicked in her brain and a suspicious look clouded her features.

"How'd you know about that?" she began, voice low. She didn't even wait for him to answer. "If I find out that it was all just some sort of genjutsu you made up then you'd better get your-"

"Filthy hands off of you and get out of your apartment this _instant_ before you beat my pathetic excuse for a body until it's beyond medical help and is left hideous forever," he mocked, moving his head from side to side.

He laughed at Sakura's expression, one that reminded him of a five-year-old who doesn't quite believe an excuse his parents used to get out of buying him a toy.

"I didn't, don't worry. It wouldn't do much good anyway."

Sakura looked shocked.

"What? Making a genjutsu that'll make me think my boyfriend is cheating on me?" Sakura said in disbelief.

"No, the beating. I'm already hideous enough as it is!" he joked, half expecting her to agree with him.

He didn't get any response apart from her hands removing themselves from his chest to cross them across her own. She shot him a glare.

"If you were hideous I would've dropped the opportunity to serve your table!" she said angrily. "I actually had to pay off Ino who was only interested in Itachi so I could get the chance to talk to you!" she huffed, but her face softened and she placed her hands on Kisame's cheeks. "People these days don't _see_, Kisame," she said, her tone gentle. "They only care about appearances first before they take a shot at personality. When I see you, I don't see some terrifying monster with a big sword ready to kill me. When I see you I see someone who had a painful life, one more-so than the others, one full of misplacement and hatred and disgust. But I also see someone who cares behind the hard macho front, who wants to be like all the others to feel what it's like to be accepted." She pulled her hands away and settled them beside her so she could boost herself off of the bed. "Or maybe I belong in a nuthouse. I don't know. But what _I_ see, you'd have to do a lot to make me change my mind."

Sakura smiled before exiting the room, happiness radiating off of her. Of course, Kisame wondered about the words she'd just spoken to him but more about her reaction.

Had she actually been expecting him to come back to see her after the mission? Did she even know that them bumping into each other on her mission was purely coincidental? So why was she looking forward to seeing him again? Why was she so _happy_ to see him again? Did she even realize how much danger she could be in? She didn't even know Kisame and she felt safe walking around with him. Did she know he could kill her in less than a second and no one would even know who did it?

He _really_ didn't get Sakura at _all_.

With a sigh the missing-nin removed himself from Sakura's bed before his thoughts morphed into less than appropriate ones. He calmly stalked out of her room and into the immediate living room.

What made him so sure he could trust her?

'_Well she only saved your life and didn't rat you and Itachi out,' _a voice in his head began. '_Then she actually let you sleep with her in a lover's hold without making any protest apart from being near _Itachi_. She didn't rat you out again when she returned from the mission and rather than scream bloody murder when she caught you sitting on her bed, she practically tackled you with joy because she hasn't seen you in a year._'

Kisame grumbled at the voice and knew it was right. As he continued his search for Sakura, he finally found her in the bathroom, only rather than be dressed in the jeans and semi-loose T-Shirt, he saw that she had changed into a pair of forest green boxers that fit her perfectly, telling him they didn't belong to sword boy, and a black tank top with one single white circle at the bottom of her left side. He assumed that this was what she wore before she went to sleep. Unfortunately for him, that was a _looot_ of skin.

From what he could see of her, the boxers were cut to fit a few inches above her kness, nearly halfway up her thigh. Her thighs were toned, as were the rest of her long slightly tan legs. Although the tank top was high enough so that her chest was completely covered, cleavage included, the spaghetti straps barely hid the smooth skin of her shoulders. Her collarbone was visible but not abnormaly so. Her neck was slender and slightly tanned like her legs and what he could see of her flawless back, a view that ended nearly halfway down her back.

"That was fast," he mumbled, blinking himself back to reality in time to notice Sakura drying her face with a fluffy black towel.

"Yeah, it's from years of having to change in front of men and not being the type to not care if a guy sees me naked and not being the type to do it so I can get laid, I had to learn to do it fast," she explained, hanging the towel up quickly.

"Ah," Kisame muttered, nodding.

He eyed the black towel. Sakura followed his gaze curiously to see it and smiled, shaking her head.

"I never would've figured you to be a black towel person," he said honestly, laughing slightly.

Sakura nodded her head, laughing with him.

"Back when I was a genin I would've passed out from shock or beat someone up if they even dared to suggest something other than pink or red, though mostly pink. I outgrew it a little bit after I turned fourteen," Sakura explained.

Kisame moved out of the doorway to let Sakura pass by him, only to have her turn around to face him, an embarrassed look on her face.

"Uh, so, what exactly do we _do_?" she asked quietly, wringing her hands behind her back.

As she looked up at him expectantly, Kisame shoved away one of the more descriptive images from his mind and looked around. He shrugged.

"It's your house," he began. "I'm just here to cheer you up."

A look that he couldn't quite interpret spread over Sakura's face, though most likely it was because there were at least four emotions mixed together. He could see shock forming her lips and chin. He noted the disbelief in her slightly scrunched up nose and creased eyebrows. There was a fear that hid in the slight pulled back skin of her cheeks. Her eyes held happiness and relief.

"I can_not_ believe you just said that," her voice was just above a whisper.

He took a step back and held his hands up.

"If you don't want me-"

Sakura's face brightened in a smile and she laughed slighty.

"I'm not the one that doesn't want you here. I think you should probably rethink what it is you could be getting in to with me if you decide to stay. Afterall, I'm not so sure you'd find fun in doing some things I do when I'm down," she explained.

"Such things would be?" Kisame asked hesitantly.

"Well, let me think," she mumbled, holding her chin with her hand and tilting her head back to look at the ceiling. "Painting my nails, though I paid for a manicure today already which leaves that marked out. Cut my hair, though I want to grow it out. Grab a carton of my favorite cookies 'n' cream ice cream, plop down on the couch and watch a bunch of cheesy horror/romance movies, something that I'm embarrassed to say is due to the fact that I've seen so much gore that I get bored to the point of stupidity if I don't see something and that I'm such a hopeless romantic that I'd be seeking it out in a _horror_ film. Hmm, apple blossom tea and some medical book or jutsu scroll I've got sitting on that bookcase over there," she pointed to a bookcase that had hardly anything left on it. "Still up for the stay?"

Kisame blinked. He didn't say a word. He blinked again. He looked down at Sakura. He blinked once more. He shook his head in disbelief.

"How do you do it?" he asked quietly.

Sakura 'hm'ed in response.

"Do what?"

"I never thought you would be so different from all the other women I've seen. Apart from the nail painting, nothing matches. Despite the fact that I've already figured you don't care what I look like and have black towels instead of pink or red ones, cookies 'n' cream is your favorite ice cream, not strawberry, and rather than cry yourself and eat ice cream to death watching cheesy _romance_ films, you sit and you watch cheesy _horror_ films. If you don't do that then it's tea and a book that has nothing to do with romance, but rather medicine or techniques. Am I getting this right?" he said, somewhat annoyed.

Sakura blinked. She didn't say a word. She blinked again. She looked up at Kisame. She blinked once more. She shook her head in disbelief.

"Yup, that's pretty much it."

Kisame sighed but there was silence for a few moments. Sakura knew what was going through his head.

"I've never been like the other girls since day one. Yeah, I liked Sasuke, but I didn't just _like_ him, I _loved_ him. The other girls liked him. From there on, when he left after the chuunin exams, most of the other kunoichi dropped out to become civilians. I think Hinata and I are the only ones left from that year that continued to become stronger. I became the Hokage's apprentice and I fairly easily made it to be her equal and remained that way despite the fact that Sasuke had his fun with me," she explained, smiling softly.

With a gentle sigh she tilted her head from side to side slowly.

"I enjoy being a medic, though it can be incredibly tiring. I miss fighting. I'll admit that I miss going on missions with opponents so full of themselves they underestimate me. I get to show them that I don't take any crap from them and that no matter what they do, they're going to end up either completely unmoving due to various medical jutsu or they're going to find themself burried beneath a collapsed wall of rocks that I've created from a single punch."

She stopped and smiled a brighter smile.

"See what I mean? I've always gone and done exactly what everyone didn't expect, so the black towels and the horror films with cookies 'n' cream ice cream and the medical text with some soothing tea? It's all what people _don't_ expect, and _that's_ what I like."

Kisame couldn't say anything. His mind was moving too fast for him to grab hold of a thought to force from his mouth. He couldn't get any control over his thoughts and because of his next move, he apparently couldn't get any control over his body, either, otherwise, he wouldn't have a hand behind Sakura's neck.

He wouldn't have his lips pressed against hers.

Moments of complete and utter silence went by. Moments that felt like minutes and hours, eternity to Kisame. He couldn't bring himself to pull back, and eerily, neither could Sakura. He couldn't do anything but yell at himself in his mind for ruining any trust this girl had in him. She couldn't help but think that this was actually nice. Despite those thoughts, Sakura's arms lifted, eyes closing, and she wrapped them around Kisame's neck, pulling herself closer. Kisame, completely and utterly shocked at this, found his body moving without his command. He pulled her closer so they were flush against each other.

Slowly, but surely, their lips moved against the other's, gently, yet getting firmer with each passing second. Eventually, Kisame decided to take the chance when Sakura's mouth opened a little wider to take a breath. His tongue shot out and met hers, and it was at that exact moment that Sakura realized Kisame's sharp teeth were nothing of the sort. They looked sharp but felt just as smooth as her own. As their kiss deepened, Kisame found himself against the wall, Sakura in front of him.

He had no idea how _he_ ended up against the wall with _his_ back against said wall, but he was quick to turn the tables and Sakura soon found herself against the wall. The fact that she was now 19 meant that she had grown up, obviously, and she had become surprisingly tall, so Kisame didn't need to hunch over to catch her lips. They broke apart soon to take in some air and Sakura could tell Kisame had something planned to say. She shook her head and pulled him down for another kiss.

No sooner than they began there was a knock at the door. The two broke apart once again and Sakura glanced in the direction of the door then back at Kisame. He sighed heavily, eyes closing, and he swore under his breath.

"That sword kid is really starting to piss me off," he muttered.

"Sai is here?" Sakura whispered.

Kisame nodded and looked at Sakura's worried face. He also noted that her eyes held anger. Anger at what? The fact that their kiss had been disrupted or the fact that Sai had bothered to show his face so soon after she caught him? Or maybe anger at herself for kissing Kisame? Regardless, he shook his head and backed away from her.

"I'll be taking my leave, then," he said, frustrated.

Sakura nearly screamed at him to stay but took a long jump into his arms as the knocking started up again. She heard a muffled version of her voice being called out. Sakura pushed her lips against Kisame's one last time before it was her turn to head away from him.

"Thank you, Kisame," she whispered, smiling brightly.

He nodded, smiling softly, and watched as her fingers glowed green and touched her lips, changing them from puffy to normal. The two nodded to each other.

"Not a problem," Kisame whispered back, and was gone in a gust of wind.

Sakura paused for a moment, letting her fingers linger on her lips. She turned and headed for the door. Her hand pulled the knob and the door open to reveal Sai. Her face had morphed into one that pissed rather than sad and she glared at him.

"So," she began. "What excuse am I going to get from you for this? You accidentally tripped onto the bed and the sheer speed of that fall caused all of your clothes to come off and you to slide inside of her suddenly lubricated body?"

Sai sighed and shook his head, obviously annoyed.

"Look, can I just come in?" he said calmly. "It's embarrassing to stand out here and have this conversation with you."

She scoffed and straightened her back.

"Embarrassing? _This_ is embarrassing?" she mocked. "What's _embarrassing_ is coming home to the apartment you share with your _boyfriend_ only to find said boyfriend inside of another woman on _your_ mother's bedsheets having finished drinking _your_ wine from _your_ crystal glasses. _That's_ em_barrassing_!" she hissed.

Sakura turned and walked down the hall, heading for the living room where she and Kisame had so rudely been interupted. She heard the door shut and she heard Sai's quiet footsteps coming up the hallway behind her.

"Sakura," Sai said, but she never turned to see him. "Sakura!" he repeated, walking more quickly to her until he was right behind her.

She still didn't look at him so he grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around to face him. He pushed her against the wall where Kisame had pressed her against earlier. She glared at him and made a moved to punch him but he began to speak.

"Look! I'm not going to make up some stupid lie since I know it'll only hurt you more than if I tell you the thruth first," he explained quickly, wary of the fist he knew could knock him out. "I won't lie to you. I knew what I was doing when I had sex with her."

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"I'm well aware of that!" she snapped. "Why is my question!"

"Because I'm a _man_ Sakura!" he nearly shouted, obviously frustrated.

"I think we'd figured that out from the appendage hanging from between your legs, Sai," she hissed sarcastically.

"I can't continuously go on without something to get rid of the sexual tension, Sakura! That's what that means!" he cried. "I can't do anything with you and I'm never going to step foot in a brothel-"

"So you find one of the village girls who's been trying to steal you from me since we started dating?"

"No! I mean, yes! But you won't let me do anything with you! How do you expect me to kill the need if you won't take the next step up? We're _living_ together! Most couples have sex before they even think about moving in!" Sai explained.

"We aren't like _most couples_ Sai! You betrayed us like Sasuke and worked for Orochimaru! You came over to our side afterwards! I loved Sasuke up until he murdered Naruto and _raped me for an entire day_! Do you have any idea how long it was in there! 1 second felt like weeks! 1 _second_! Multiply how many times in one second he could give me my virginity and then take it away! Multiply _that_ by the number of seconds in _24 hours_! I could never trust him!"

"But you can trust me, Sakura!" he yelled. "You can trust _me_," he said in a softer voice.

The tears came not even a second later and she nearly collapsed to her knees. Sai caught her easily. He pulled her tightly against him, slightly rocking his body in a soothing manner. He pressed gentle kisses to her ear, her head, her cheeks, her neck, anywhere he could find to make her understand he cared. He rubbed a spot on the back of her neck that he knew relaxed her as she sobbed into his chest.

"You're the woman I want to marry, Sakura, so please don't think you can't trust me."

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Here's chapter 3! A little more indepth KisaSaku action for you guys -Mentally knows she's going to get her ass flamed beyond repair for it- so please enjoy! It took me forever to write it, seemingly short though it may be, for I was laughing so hard. You guys know it's one thing to _read_ what I write and picture it (if you even do) in _your_ heads, but _you_ aren't the ones who have to _actually write it_. If you don't believe me, someone please go ahead and try to write something and send it to me so I can read it. We'll see the difference (hopefully) or perhaps I really am just messed up...

Alright so next chapter, chapter 4!

Chapter 4: Intolerable Cruelty

Sakura's parents die on a mission and Kisame is forced to come to a decision about Sakura.

Love to all of my reviewers for chapters 1 and 2, anonomous and signed in:

Anon.

imortale-butterfly

Chryseis Wyvernsen

kyuubi-lover(Too lazy to sign in)

Yaoi hata

Haku no Yuki

kakashisninjadogs

dora-chan

Katja-chan

Kurenai Chinoumi

TaurenLeaf

kakashisninjadogs

Mrs. Kyou Souma

Kurenai Chinoumi

kyuubi-lover

DudettRin101

to scared to tell

-Sapphire-Onyx-

Yaoi hata

Marsgoddess1

Saikio

Artemis

Hope to see you guys and more next chapter! Please review! Till later!

Backlash Symphony


	4. Intolerable Cruelty

Title: Apple Blossom Tea

Chapter Title: Intolerable Cruelty

Author: Backlash Symphony

Music: "Bring Me to Life" by Evanescence

"Missing" by Evanescence

Summary: They entered silently, trying to stick to their usual plans; ignore everyone and be ignored in return. Usually, the women would blush at the brief view of Itachi's handsome face and cringe at the sight of Kisame. Normally, Itachi would disregard the lustful gazes and Kisame the terrified stares, but one particular roseate-haired waitress changed everything Kisame came to know by simply looking at him and not cowering in fear. Kisa/Saku

**WARNING: Sakura's parents have been killed in this chapter. Mention of rape.**

Disclaimer: I do not own "Bring Me to Life" by Evanescence, "Missing" by Evanescence, and I especially do not own Naruto, for if I did, the show would be called "Sakura".

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Timeframe: 1 Year After Kisame's and Sakura's First Kiss (Sakura is now 20)

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Sakura always knew she was never going to be anything special.

She always said that the day of her parent's funeral, the sky would be sunny. She refused to think that it would rain. It did.

She was just like the rest of the girls her age, just like the rest of the weak women she fought and trained so roughly to protect.

Beneath that hard and worn shell of strength, power, hope, and skill, the one that brought a proud smile to Tsunade's face and a bright and cheerful feeling to Konoha, the one that young kunoichi like Moegi looked up to because she refused to give into the pressures of society and her occupation, beneath all of that wonder and amazement, the genius and brilliance of such a beautiful woman, underneath all of that she was merely a simple woman, helpless and needy with no one to care for her. She was fragile and weak, a shame and a disgrace to Konoha's gloriously built society.

Sasuke had always been right about her. She let her emotions define her actions.

Because she had already disgraced her family name today by not showing up to the funeral, merely let those who showed up continue on with it without her presence, she had half of the Konoha shinobi searching for her. Honestly, who wouldn't show up at their own parents' funeral?

Someone who was weak.

Someone who was fragile.

Someone who was a _failure_.

Someone like Sakura.

She had wished to skip the entire funeral completely but she knew she had to make an appearance. She had only been hiding away the past day and a half, something that prompted the search for her. No one had expected their favorite little blossom to suddenly go missing, to take the death so hard. Although no one would have since they couldn't bother to think of everything that she was now missing.

Sasuke had left when she was younger. She had gotten over him.

Sasuke came back halfway to kill _her_ but ended up killing Naruto. He had destroyed her mind nearly completely before disappearing once again.

Sasuke had been the one who had killed her parents on their mission out of Konoha.

She had no one left.

_Shinobi rule #25. A ninja **never** shows his emotions._

As Sakura walked toward the mass of figures in black, her face a pale perfection of emotionless expressions, the rain began to pour. At first it was a light rain, something that no one noticed, but the close she walked to the memorial stone, the heavier it got. People began to look curiously around, but no one noticed her.

"She's a coward."

Sakura froze in her spot, unable to keep moving forward. All of those people there, all of those people mourning over _her_ family, assuming her to be a coward just because she had nothing left? No, no, this was it. She was sick of being the hero, sick of having to always be strong as she watched everyone else crumble at the sight of a broken nail, a lost business, the _natural_ death of a loved one, not the hideous torture of a person who suffered immensely before begging to die until they actually did so. No, they knew nothing.

"A coward?" she asked, stepping forward.

Gasps were heard and people turned around to see if they had actually heard her. People whispered loudly to one another and pointed. Sakura took a look at the woman who had called her a coward. She walked straight towards her, face completely void of any emotions, looking more like a ghost than a human being. Her pink hair was matted to her head, strands sticking to her neck. The woman's eyes widened as Sakura approached her and she began to back up. The crowd of people parted as the woman stumbled back, Sakura keeping her pace slow.

"You say that I am a coward because I decide not to attend the funeral of my remaining family?" she asked calmly, voice also void of any emotion. "I am what you have labeled me because I choose not to witness the reality of loosing what it is that I had left? You have no understanding of what it means to be a shinobi, do you?"

She didn't give the woman time to answer before she continued.

"Of course not. You're sheltered. You wouldn't understand what 'hard work' means even if you worked yourself to death. You stand there and think that a good day is coming home with a little more money than you made the day before. A good day in the shinobi life is coming back to the village without having lost a teammate, or _parts_ of a teammate. You sit and complain about a job you don't like and are free to choose something else, free to quit. As a shinobi, we're a disgrace if we do what you do, looked down upon for being_ weak_, for being _pathetic_."

Her tone had hardened some and was beginning to get angry, though barely.

"You wouldn't be living the way you are today if it weren't for us. If it weren't for people like me who go against what everyone says, who work harder than the rest to become stronger, to become acknowledged, there would be no Konoha. There would be no economy. No businesses, no nothing for you to brag about. Oh well, someone died from a heart attack. Go cry your eyes out and mope around, get everyone's sympathy and pity and a paid vacation for a few weeks. My parents were murdered protecting this village and as shinobi, we pay a quick respect and move on to the next mission assigned to us.

"There's no time to mope. We don't have that luxury since we're too busy protecting this village and all of you ungrateful people. Here's an example. I lost the man I loved, the one that murdered my closest and only friend for power, attempted to murder me but decided he would rather torture and rape me for 72 hours. I, as a kunoichi abiding by the great Shinobi Laws, was forbidden to shed a single tear. Shinobi rule #25. A ninja **never** shows his emotions. That applies to everything in life. Emotions equal weakness. Weakness equals death.

"So, I'll say this one more time, and I want you to make sure I've got it right. You stand there and prance around, assuming you know everything about me when you can't even _protect yourself_, practically begging for my help while _I_ have known more sorrow and sadness and _suffering_ than you could ever dream of, and that makes me a coward? I only have two people left in my life, my parents, who were also killed by the man I once loved, the only people that I had left in this miserable existence that I call life, and because I don't feel like coming to terms with it yet, you _dare_ to call me a coward?"

There was a silence that stretched on for a long time. Sakura held her heavy stare at the woman practically cowering in front of her, gaze unmoving. It was harsh and accusing and Sakura seemed to become impatient.

"You also realize that by calling _me_ a coward, you're calling the Hokage a coward as well," she threw a dark glare at the woman. "Or do you not know what a Hokage _is_?" she nearly spat.

More moments of silence grew and Sakura became frustrated with the lack of response she was getting.

"Whatever," she sighed, frustrated.

She walked a few steps over to the table of flowers and tossed two flowers no one noticed she had to begin with onto the table. She muttered something under her breath before turning and walking back down the opening the crowd made. She made it a point to stop by the woman.

"Pathetic," she said, obviously digusted, and continued past her onto her way home.

The people that remained didn't bother to help the woman up. Sakura's speech made more sense and they knew the woman deserved worse for what she said. No one noticed the figure that rushed through the field in a blur, heading after Sakura.

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Sakura, soaked and pissed off, not to mention incredibly exhausted and depressed, dropped her keys onto the coffee table in the living room before stripping from her black dress and tossing it into the bathroom sink. She peeled off her wet undergarments and wrapped them into the dress before grabbing a fluffy black towel and drying off. She wrapped it around her and headed to her room to change into a dry set of panties and an oversized dark grey t-shirt that came down to the middle of her thighs. She contemplated putting a bra on but shrugged it off.

"It's too much work," she muttered.

Right now, the situation she was in, was one of those times where ice cream wasn't a girl's best friend. She was now all alone with very little interest in being with people at this moment and she was too tired and depressed to function, yet eerily, equally so much that she couldn't sleep. Suddenly, the hairs on the back of her neck stood and she whipped around only to see the only person she'd ever dream of seeing leaning against her bedroom wall. Her lips formed a smile before her saddened mind could remind them their owner was incredibly depressed.

"Kisame!" she cried running at him.

He held his arms out and she jumped into the air, wrapping her arms around his neck, his around her back, and her legs snug against his sides.

"God, I missed you!" she whined into his ear, rubbing her cheek against his.

He chuckled softly, loosening his hold on her. Reluctantly her legs released from his waist and her arms slid down to rest on his chest. She looked up at him with a sad expectancy, knowing his next words would be related to the situation she was in. He walked over to the end of her bed, sitting down. She followed the few steps towards him, remaining on her feet in front of him. One of his hands cupped her face, thumb stroking her cheek gently.

"I figured you'd need someone to talk to or whatever it is people do when they're depressed."

Sakura sighed, leaning into his hand and closing her eyes.

"Sai won't be back for another two weeks," she muttered. "I couldn't care less about him."

"Oh? And why is that?" Kisame inquired softly.

Her emerald eyes opened to gaze almost lovingly at Kisame. Her lips quirked up at the corners to produce a gentle smile.

"You're here with me when I need you," she replied equally as softly, a strange look coming to her eyes.

That sentence was left open to multiple interpretations, none of which were incredibly appropriate in Kisame's mind. The look he was receiving from her wasn't one he was sure he liked from someone like her. It didn't match her in any way at all. It was the farthest look from innocent and when she leaned forward, pressing her lips against his, he knew that his thoughts were correct. He easily dominated the kiss but nearly jumped when he felt her weight settle across his lap, one leg on either side of him once again.

With a mental sigh he pressed his free hand onto her lower back, pushing her hips harder into his. He heard a soft sound come from the back of her throat before one of her hands burried itself into his hair, pulling his head closer, the other hand grabbing his hand from her face and placing it on her bare thigh. His fingers slowly slid up the smooth skin, the tips pushing the rest of her shirt up as he moved.

His hand reached around her back, one finger pressing against the base of her spine and dragging it up to the back of her neck, eliciting a shiver from the young woman. Her shirt rode up on his arm, revealing her lightly muscled stomach, and another sound was made in the back of her throat as her skin became exposed. She felt his fingers trail across her stomach, pressing against the quivering flesh, his destination clear to her.

Within an inch of the band of her underwear, his hand stopped. His entire body froze. Confused, Sakura pulled her head back slightly and was shocked when Kisame's hands retreated from her body. Eyes widening slightly, she realized he refused to look her in the eye.

"What's wrong?" she whispered, concerned.

He shook his head, hands returning to her body only to lift her off of his lap and onto the bed beside him.

"I'm not going to take advantage of you."

It was a simple answer but he was expecting her to retaliate by becoming angry with him, yelling at him and telling him that he wasn't taking advantage of her, that he was afraid.

She didn't.

He felt her eyes on him, staring at him, making a failed attempt to read him and see what was really going on in his head. Of course he didn't want to stop. Of course he would've enjoyed every second of touching and caressing her beautiful body, but he simply _couldn't_, not when he knew she was only this eager because she needed to do something that would temporarily halt the pain she was feeling.

"Any other man would've jumped at the opportunity, you realize," she said softly, though her voice held no tones of disgust or hatred or anger.

"Any other man would've been too blinded by the best one-night stand of their lives to realize you didn't really want it to begin with," he countered, turning to look at her.

It was then that he noticed the tears in her eyes, unshed and sparkling. He sighed, hating the fact that he'd made her get this far, but strangely, it didn't disgust him like it would've for anyone else. It didn't make him happy to know he had the power to make someone cry, or get to the point of tears like she was.

"I won't think any less of you, Sakura," he said softly, voice strangely soothing to her. "Go ahead."

She knew exactly what he meant and the tears burst from her eyes, sliding down her soft cheeks. She leaned toward Kisame who turned to embrace her. Her fingers clenched the fabric of his shirt as her tears soaked through it. Her body trembled as sobs were shed from her mouth. Kisame knew that with each passing minute, the tears meant more than just the pain of losing her parents. She was crying the tears she'd failed to shed for Naruto, the tears she never let flow from her mental torture with Sasuke. The pain and suffering, the sorrow, it all came out there, and apparently, Kisame was the only one she could trust to cry on and believe his words.

And it was true what he said. He wouldn't think any less of her. He'd think more of her for showing she was still human.

When she spoke again what seemed like an hour later, Kisame nearly felt the need to slap some sense into her stubborn head.

"Shinobi Rule #25. A ninja **never** shows his emotions." Her voice was one of regret and self-pity.

Kisame scoffed, runing his fingers through her hair.

"Do you think I've ever been one to follow the rules?"

He could feel her lips form a smile against him and he heard the short, but happy, laugh that came from her.

He was the one that could do that.

Outside, thunder began to sound, signaling the beginning of more rain. Sakura hadn't even realized it had stopped, but now it was raining once again and even harder than before. She snuggled deeper into Kisame's hold, his arms tightening around her in response. She felt a sense of longing overcome her and she held onto Kisame tighter than anyone else before him. She didn't want him to be like the rest of the people she was close to. She wanted him safe, regardless of the fact that his job provided just the opposite. She just didn't want to lose him, too.

Sakura always knew she was never going to be anything special.

She always said that the day of her parent's funeral, the sky would be sunny. She refused to think that it would rain. It did.

She was just like the rest of the girls her age, just like the rest of the weak women she fought and trained so roughly to protect.

The only difference now wasn't the fact that it was raining, heavying the burden of depression upon her shoulders.

It was because she knew she would never be able to be with the man she loved.

Kisame.

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Here's chapter 4! So Sakura's finally letting loose some of the cooped up emotion and Kisame acted as the responsible one (though I honestly would've enjoyed the entire scene complete) so he can make a better impact on her next chapter! And speaking of which, next chapter which was supposed to be the _final_ chapter of this fic is now _not_ the final chapter. I've come up with a few more ideas!

Alright so next chapter, chapter 5!

Chapter 5: I Do, But Only For You

Sakura is getting married in the morning and Kisame can't stand the fact that it's not to him, thus deciding to take matters into his own hands.

Chapter 6:

Sakura is presented to Akatsuki to test for admittance.

Chapter 7:

Sakura returns from a mission earlier than expected to find the last person she'd expect as a part of Akatsuki.

Love to all of my reviewers for chapter 3, anonomous and signed in:

Kurenai Chinoumi  
imortale-butterfly  
Yaoi hata  
Maddi-chan  
DeGlace  
loves-winged-dark-angel  
kakashisninjadogs  
Riley Killer is my name  
Youko  
CastitatisxLilium

Craving more of the fab pairing of KisameSakura? Check out DeGlace and her wonderful story called "Uneasy Coexistence". Here's the link:

http (colon) (slash) (slash) www (dot) fanfiction (dot) net (slash) s (slash) 3034960 (slash) 1 (slash)

Hope to see you guys and more next chapter! Please review! Till later!

Backlash Symphony


	5. I Do, But Only For You

Title: Apple Blossom Tea

Chapter Title: I Do, But Only For You

Author: Backlash Symphony

Music: "Ironic" by Alanis Morrisette

Summary: They entered silently, trying to stick to their usual plans; ignore everyone and be ignored in return. Usually, the women would blush at the brief view of Itachi's handsome face and cringe at the sight of Kisame. Normally, Itachi would disregard the lustful gazes and Kisame the terrified stares, but one particular roseate-haired waitress changed everything Kisame came to know by simply looking at him and not cowering in fear. Kisa/Saku

Disclaimer: I do not own "Ironic" by Alanis Morrisette and I especially do not own Naruto, for if I did, the show would be called "Sakura".

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**_Text_** means thoughts belonging to Inner Sakura

_Text_ means thoughts belonging to Sakura

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Timeframe: 2 Years After The Death Of Sakura's Parents (Sakura is now 22)

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Sakura pulled her hands away from her mouth, having reached the absolute end of her final free nail. She had chewed off the ends to all of her nails and was so incredibly tempted to start on her toenails. Hell, she was certainly flexible enough, she could pull it off. She probably would have, too, if she didn't find it so wrong, but at that moment, she _was_ kind of desperate.

'No, no, just stop being a baby!' she scolded herself mentally.

Her bare feet were pacing in her apartment, no sounds in said apartment besides the soft pat of her feet against the wooden floor and the light tapping against her windows from the rain outside. Sakura smiled wryly.

"Isn't it ironic?" she muttered to herself, stopping her pacing to glance at the window.

She was getting married the next day to Sai having agreed to his proposal nearly six months ago. Sakura sighed, groaning slightly as she pressed the palms of her hands to her face. She had sent a letter to Kisame explaing the entire situation to him the next day. It would've taken him maybe two months at most to respond due to missions from the Akatsuki. She waited until three months before sending another letter with nearly the same message as the first one, apologizing that the letter had most likely gotten lost. Another three months passed to the day before her wedding, today.

Still no word.

She could feel the pain more today than the day she said yes. Of course, who was she to think she'd ever be able to have a life with Kisame? Who was she fooling? Just because they'd shared a passionate kiss? Just because he supported her when Sai was cheating? When her parents died and he refused to take advantage of her when she threw herself onto him? Of course they'd never have a life together, so why shouldn't she go after the man she was dating throughout all of this?

_**You don't love him.**_

_I can learn to._

_**Sure, and Sasuke will come back and apologize.**_

_He just might._

Sakura sighed heavily, glancing out the window again.

"It's raining the night before the wedding," she muttered. "Lovely."

"Sarcasm won't make it any brighter."

Sakura froze, her heart soaring as the familiar voice floated into her ears. She spun around, a sad smile on her face. Kisame held one equally as sad. He seated himself on her couch, still facing her.

"So you're getting married?"

Her smile died instantly. Forcing chakra into her fingers, she grew the nails back and brought her thumb to her mouth, nibbling on the nail. She resumed her pacing, eyes cast down at the floor. She heard Kisame sigh heavily.

"Then why'd you say yes?"

She stopped and hesitantly turned to face him. Why? Why had she said yes? As if he didn't know or couldn't figure it out already! Besides, although she may have been-

_May have been? Still ARE!_

-attracted to him, it didn't mean he was more than lusting for her. She was almost positive he harbored no feelings for her.

"I can't have a life with you," she said as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

She saw Kisame's eyes nearly bug out of his head. He didn't say anything for a few moments, but when he finally did, his voice was low and somewhat strained.

"Why would you want to?"

Sakura narrowed her viridian eyes at the criminal on her couch, one hand resting on her hip which she jutted out and the other stretched out before her, pointing an accusing finger at him.

"You're actually _asking_ me _that_?" she queried in disbelief. "Are you for real?"

"Once again, I ask you, why would you want to?" he seemed annoyed now at her lack of a response.

She huffed and crossed her arms across her chest.

"You care about me."

He waited for her to finish but after a minute of silence he realized that was her answer.

"That's it?" he asked, skeptical.

"You know what I'm feeling even if I put up a completely different front," she explained calmly and slowly, though there was a hint of an edge to he voice. "You don't cheat on me when I put all of my faith in you."

_**Like Sai.**_

"You don't take advantage of my moods and you don't try to force me into something I'm not ready for. On the contrary, you force me _out_ of it," she added. "Plus, you've got a great sense of humor," she began to walk towards him, "you understand more about the female psyche than most men do," she knelt down before him, sitting on her heels, "and you're comfortable to be around." Her hands reached out to hold his on his lap. "I don't feel like I have to be someone else. It's alright to be weak and it's alright to get dressed with you less than ten feet away," she said this with a smile and a soft laugh.

She made sure to maintain eye contact with him as she spoke.

"I'm only _real_ around _you_. Not Sai, _you_."

She slowly got up, leaning forward. He knew what would happen next. Their lips would meet and this time he wasn't sure if he'd be able to be Mr. Considerate. He turned his head away, pushing down firmly on her shoulders.

"I can't, Sakura," he said between grit teeth. "You're getting _married_ in less than ten hours."

The amount of self-control he exerted was brilliant. She was there, ready and willing and devoting herself to him, probably the only woman to do so, and he was _declining_. He was holding back when he knew it was something that she and he both wanted.

She shoved his hands off of her and pulled his head back to face her, looking deeply into his eyes, fingers gently stroking his cheeks.

"Not if you don't want me to," she said softly, though firmly. "I'll cancel the wedding if you tell me that's what you want."

"What's left of your reputation will be shot," he reasoned.

She gave a harsh sigh, rolling her eyes.

"So what if I care? I have no one left, Kisame! No one to prove myself to! You saw what happened at my parents' funeral!" she said defensively.

He growled.

_Growled!_

"You have _Sai!_" he nearly shouted. "I know you want to get married, Sakura! Don't stop it because I feel like watching you suffer! I only want you to be happy!"

Sakura's eyes widened at his words. Her hands dropped from his face and she stood as straight as she could before taking a step back.

"What was the last thing you just said?" she spoke slowly, her voice low.

She heard Kisame swear under his breath as he closed his eyes, realizing the words he'd let slip without meaning to. A ghost of a smile presented itself on her lips.

"And the only one that can make me happy is you."

Sakura held her steady gaze on him. He still refused to make eye contact with her. There was an incredibly awkward silence for the next five minutes as Sakura waited patiently for Kisame to think everything over. When he spoke, she nearly felt her knees collapse from beneath her.

"You'd need to take a test," he mumbled, voice surprisingly low and somewhat dark, full of regret.

Sakura's eyes glistened with unshed tears and she launched herself at Kisame, wrapping her arms tightly around him and showering his face with soft but quick kisses.

"I'll pass it, I'll pass it to be with you!" she said with entirely too much enthusiasm.

So as Sakura agreed to throw away what little existence she had in Konoha, Kisame threw away any resistance he had in crushing his lips against Sakura's.

While Sakura said goodbye to Sai forever, Kisame granted Sakura the best night of her life.

It was a night any honeymooners would envy with a passion, and probably as much passion as the two shared until late that night.

The rain ceased to fall and Sakura was entirely content, no, _beyond_ content, for she was finally given everything she had ever wanted.

Mr. Right and the most pleasurable and perfect first time imaginable.

_**Heh heh, the other girls would be so jealous.**_

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Yay! Chapter 5 is now complete and Sakura has dumped Sai's Sasuke look-alike ass for Kisame!...who has finally gotten what he wanted! The girl and...everything that comes with absolute devotion from such...Coming up, chapter 6!

Chapter 6:

Sakura is presented to Akatsuki to test for admittance.

Who will Sakura battle? Will she win? (KisaSaku, of course she will!) Yeah, so, thanks to the following for reviewers for doing what you do best:

CastitatisxLilium  
loves-winged-dark-angel  
kyuubi-lover  
kakashisninjadogs  
DeGlace  
Chryseis Wyvernsen  
Kurenai Chinoumi

Don't forget to review! Till later!

Backlash Symphony


	6. This'll Be Fun

Title: Apple Blossom Tea

Chapter Title: This'll Be Fun

Author: Backlash Symphony

Music: "I'll Make A Man Out Of You" by Donny Osmond  
"Headstrong" by Trapt

Summary: They entered silently, trying to stick to their usual plans; ignore everyone and be ignored in return. Usually, the women would blush at the brief view of Itachi's handsome face and cringe at the sight of Kisame. Normally, Itachi would disregard the lustful gazes and Kisame the terrified stares, but one particular roseate-haired waitress changed everything Kisame came to know by simply looking at him and not cowering in fear. Kisa/Saku

Disclaimer: I do not own "I'll Make A Man Out Of You" by Donny Osmond, "Headstrong" by Trapt, and I especially do not own Naruto, for if I did, the show would be called "Sakura".

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**_Text_** means thoughts belonging to Inner Sakura

_Text_ means thoughts belonging to Sakura

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Timeframe: 2 Weeks After Sakura's Departure from Konoha (Sakura is still 22)

Location: Akatsuki Hideout

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To say Sakura was nervous was an understatement. She was less than ten feet away from the door that would officially register her life in the ranks of the missing-nin. Even if she didn't make it into Akatsuki, the fact that she attempted to get in on her own would brand her a criminal. She felt Kisame place a hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. She looked up at him and he gave her a reassuring smile as they stopped at the door. Sakura inhaled deeply, staring at the door.

"You ready?" Kisame asked quietly.

Sakura exhaled and nodded.

"Yeah."

Although she certainly didn't sound like she was alright to enter a room that held the most powerful shinobi in the world, he didn't ask any questions. He knew this was one of the topics you didn't baby someone about for it usually made them change their mind to the negative option, something he didn't want. With a sigh he wrapped his fingers around the doorknob and turned it, pushing the door forward and walking through. He shut the door behind him and Sakura stared silently, waiting for her cue.

She and Kisame had practiced this since she left Konoha. He would make an introduction for her while she waited outside the room, giving her a good name, spicing up the one she already had, and when the Akatsuki leader agreed, he would open the door and Sakura would come in to be questioned before assigned a task to complete for her entrance into the Akatsuki.

By the time she finished reviewing the plan the third time, the door opened and Kisame stuck his head out.

"They're ready for you," he said calmly.

Sakura took a deep breath and headed through the door, Kisame ducking back so she could pass through. She exhaled slowly; very, very, very slowly. She walked and came to a stop beside Kisame who closed the door behind her. The room was mostly dark with what appeared to be candles spread across the wall. A quick count told her there were six flickering candles in a room that had no wind or blowing air.

She could make out a platform of some sort ahead of her, though only about a foot off the ground, nothing exceptionally high. There seemed to be a long rectangular box that she figured to be a desk. There was a figure in black, or so it appeared, seated at the desk with two figures standing on either side. Taking a look on either side of herself showed her an single row of chairs, each holding a different member of Akatsuki. Every one of them was staring at her.

She noticed the burning Sharingan belonging to Itachi closer to her than anyone else. She fought down the urge to turn around and run away when Kisame walked past her and headed for an empty seat next to Itachi.

**_He did _not_ just leave us here!_**

She did her best not to fidget, though the temptation to run the hell out of there was growing, and she took a firm step forward, followed by another one, until she reached the platform. With her eyes straight ahead, she stood straight and waited for any words or commands. After the first fifteen seconds, Sakura began to feel worried that nothing was happening. By thirty, she could feel the sweat forming on the back of her neck. At fifty, she was ready to haul ass back to Konoha when _finally_, at sixty, a rough raspy voice greeted her.

"So you're the famous Haruno Sakura."

Sakura swallowed and nodded her head, willing her voice to come out steady.

"Yes."

She heard a low laugh come from the same person as well as a few scattered chuckles. She held herself high and remained calm, despite the fact that she was doing all she could to keep herself from shaking.

"You've got quite the reputation, you know."

"So I've heard."

Another set of short laughs.

_**Apparently we're a hit.**_

_Yeah, that or _they_ know something _we_ don't._

_**That's a safer bet there.**_

"Why would an innocent thing like you want to be in the Akatsuki?"

Sakura inhaled slowly, going over the words she had practiced with Kisame.

"Freedom."

Er, _word_.

She could imagine the man's eyebrow rising at her response.

"Freedom?" she heard him chuckle before he continued. "You sure there isn't something else?"

"_Someone_!" a voice called out.

Sakura felt stunned. Her fear was slowly dying down as the actions she witnessed continued to grow. People calling out? Correcting the leader? Joking with her? Hell, this didn't feel like a _criminal_ organization! It felt like being in first grade again!

_**Is this for real?**_

"It wouldn't interfere with my skill, I can assure you," Sakura replied tartly.

She heard him sigh and was perfectly certain this place was a joke. Itachi was nice, not the killer she had imagined, and Kisame was amazing in bed despite his more than obvious physical implication that he'd never been with a woman before. Now, she was getting _teased_.

_TEASED._

In a place where heartless criminals were supposed to reside. Instead, she got a handful of grown men giggling like little children! Was this supposed to be happening in order for her to lower her guard or was this organization, the most _feared_ in the world, mind you, honestly just a bunch of PMSing grown-ups acting like first graders on pot?

"Sheesh, you've gotta be _kidding_ me," she muttered to herself, rolling her eyes.

"Alright then, let us see what you're capable of."

Sakura didn't have the chance to respond before the room was suddenly filled with a bright light. She squeezed her eyes shut and immediately after doing so, her senses began to alert her that something was going to attack her from in front of her. Without opening her eyes, she forced chakra into her feet and rocketed into the air, feeling the whoosh of air beneath her. She opened her eyes slowly as she flipped down, landing on the platform.

The entire room was painted with brown walls, simple, of course, and the platform she stood in a fighting stance on was completely white. Six feet behind her was a desk, like she'd imagined, with three figures behind it, one sitting. But no, that wasn't it. In Konoha's records, there were supposed to be nine or ten Akatsuki members. As she looked in awe around her, she found at _least_ thirty.

At _least._

"Oh, _fuck_."

"Ooo, she's got _quite_ the dirty mouth," a man with dark green hair and equally dark green eyes announced at Sakura's right.

"Yeah," another man, this one with short blonde hair and sitting at Sakura's left, agreed. "Looks like Kisame's got a handful. You can share her anytime you like," he joked, causing more laughter.

Sakura was so shocked by the comments that she completely forgot about her attacker who was standing with one foot on the edge of the platform, leaning forward against his knee.

"Possibly the best looking woman I've seen in a long time. The pink hair's a little over the edge, but at least you'd know if she was cheating on you," he piped. "Though it kind of disrupts the whole tough girl tomboy image since it's such a feminine color..."

Sakura turned to glare at him, taking him in. His face was handsome with high cheekbones and smooth tan skin. Deep chocolate eyes hid beneath lavender colored bangs. He seemed tall enough while he was bent over, so she imagined he'd tower over her when standing at his full height.

She blinked, suddenly understanding his comment. Her green eyes narrowed and she placed one hand on her hip, leaning forward a few inches.

_No one...and I mean _no one!_ Disses the hair!_

"Feminine? I'm a few cards short of a full deck but correct me if I'm wrong, is it just me or is your hair looking a little on the purple side?" she retorted.

She heard a few snorts of laughter and was now completely and utterly positive this place was a joke. She watched as her opponent rolled his eyes and stepped fully onto the platform. Sakura noticed that her estimate was just about right. This guy was definitely a lot taller than she was.

"Again, it may just be me but it seems you're stalling," she teased. "What's the matter? You afraid of losing or something?"

His lips curled into a smirk that reflected his egotistical inner self.

"Afraid? Of losing? The only thing I'm afraid of is ruining that pretty little face of yours, pinky."

More laughter. Sakura gave a smirk of her own and raised a brow.

"Or maybe you're afraid of ruining your nails? They look pretty freshly coated to me."

She heard him growl and she sighed.

"Staalll_iiinngg_," she said in a sing-song voice. "Hurry up, would you? I'm getting bored here. I've got chakra to burn and an ass to kick so get to it!" she snapped, readying herself.

Within a second he was gone and Sakura spun to the side, avoiding a leg that slid over her head. His body became visible again and fifteen kunai were headed her way. Skillfully dodging each one, she made it appear that she was trying to catch some of the weapons while her fingers hurriedly made the seals to perform the clone jutsu. With Itachi behind her to see the fake, she wasn't sure if he'd blab or keep it a secret, but the clone appeared directly in front of the real Sakura, taking her position in identical form, and the real Sakura disappeared without a trace.

Her opponent rushed towards the clone and began a taijutsu attack. The clone evaded each punch and kick without touching him as he forced them to move around the stage. The leader and his desk were gone before they could get the fight any farther.

"You can't win by dodging, you know! Don't be such a coward!" he aimed another fist to her face.

The clone smirked and moved out of the way.

"Aw, but it's so much fun!"

Before he could get another word in, the real Sakura suddenly appeared behind him, arm drawn back with her fist filled with chakra that no one else could see. He made a move to spin around as his senses flared but Sakura was faster. Her fist collided with he cheek, sending him soaring across the room and crashing into the wall.

Wait, scratch that, crashing _through_ the wall.

Dust filled the air as parts of the wall crumbled and fell down. There was no movement and Sakura brought her hands together, waiting in position for the nin to get back up. Although she still couldn't hear or see anything, she knew he wouldn't have gone down that easily.

**_Hell, with what we've seen already, it wouldn't be a surprise if he _did_ get knocked out._**

Sakura should've known that it wasn't over yet, and although she knew, she never convinced herself. Something suddenly grabbed onto her foot and she nearly cried out. Taking an awkward step back, she attempted to shake off whatever was on her foot and rather than get it off, she fell backwards and onto her butt. Her arms were on either side of her, holding her up as she stared at the green object holding her foot.

"Is that a...what _is_ that thing?"

She tried shaking her leg again only this time it slid around her calf, moving higher and higher up her leg. She freaked out at that point and shot forward to try and pull the rising vine off of her only to find another three breaking through the ground and wrapping around each of her wrists and her other leg. The vines pulled down, spreading her body eagle style as she struggled viciously to get free. The more she struggled, the tighter the vines got, and she grew to realize that the point was to tire her out so she would have to forfeit.

_**Hell if that happens!**_

Sakura calmed and stilled suddenly, causing the vines to stop tightening, and she gathered her chakra into her arms. In a second, she yanked her arms towards her body, effectively pulling the vines up with her, but they pulled back. She struggled for a few more moments before the vines finally gave and snapped. Quickly, Sakura performed the seals for her chakra scalpel and dove forward, slicing the vines off of her legs.

She got to her feet hurriedly, reaching her chakra out beneath the ground to alert her of any vines that would pop out next, and searched the room with her eyes for her enemy. She found him lounging against the wall next to where she hit him, cheek swollen and lip cut. She smirked at the sight of her work and readied herself again.

"Clever," he called out, "but you won't be able to stop this."

Sakura's eyes shifted to watch his hands, knowing he would perform a jutsu.

"Just watch and learn how someone _really_ fights."

She chuckled.

"Oh, I'm watching alright," she said sneakily.

His fingers moved swiftly to create the seals and Sakura moved her fingers in an identical pattern after he finished the first two. As he called out the name of his jutsu, just as he finished, she began, and vines with thorns shot up around Sakura, venus fly traps snapping at her while scented flowers spread across the floor around her, smell strong enough to knock her out, yet she remained standing while the vines moved to wrap around her.

The same array of attackers surrounded her opponent who was in shock. His attack was an original attack and Sakura had used it nearly a second after he had. He looked closely at her eyes and noted their deep emerald color, not red, emerald. Sakura formed some more seals, rocketed into the air, and spiraled back down, slamming her heel into the platform. The ground rumbled before a huge crater the size of the platform was left behind. The plants were sucked in and she immediately made some more seals and headed for her enemy who was busy performing the jutsu that dispelled the attack.

By the time he finished, Sakura's hand was already inside of his chest, fingers gripping his heart. She could feel it pumping frantically between the digits and noted that her heart was much calmer.

"I can crush your heart right now if i want to," she explained, voice soft but firm. "Make any wrong moves or do something I find threatening, and I'll rip it out and throw it on the floor. Do I make myself clear?"

His eyes were wide with shock and she could feel the rest of his body trembling. She knew this was one of the effects of having someone's hand in your chest. The body didn't have enough space for it so its reaction was shaking, for some odd reason. He nodded slowly. She smiled.

"Good. Then I believe the right phrase for this is 'Checkmate. I win.'"

She pulled her arm back and stepped back, regarding him carefully. And then she heard it.

A clap.

Then another.

Then another, until she had applause filling her ears.

"Looks like we need to add another trait to your file, Haruno. Itachi, would you mind explaining this one?"

"She's intelligent and perceptive enough to memorize the seals for a jutsu by witnessing it. She can comprehend the movements and the chakra positions in less than a second while also storing the seals in her mind," Itachi explained as if he had known the answer all along but just wanted everyone else to figure it out.

Sakura turned and nearly gaped.

"She's like the Sharingan, only she's got a_ truly _natural ability," he concluded.

Sakura laughed.

"Yeah, and maybe if I try hard enough I can change colors and force people to hallucinate because of my absolute _sexiness_," she noted sarcastically.

She heard more laughter from the others as she looked at Itachi and Kisame, noting both had amused smirks on their faces. She winked at the two before turning around to face the guy she had fought who was still pressed against the wall. She sighed, rolled her eyes, and pressed her hand up to his forehead. She pushed her chakra into him and his body visibly grew calmer. She withdrew her hand and smiled apologetically at him.

"Sorry 'bout that..."

With a shrug she turned and walked back around the chairs of criminals, noting with a grin the damage she'd done to the building. She stopped behind Kisame and Itachi, pressing her hands to their shoulders. The leader was standing in the center of the crater she'd made.

"Congratulations, Haruno Sakura, and welcome to the Akatsuki family."

A small smile spread on Sakura's face and she bit her lip with excitement. Her fingers gripped harder on their shoulders when she took another look around the room.

"I'm the only woman here?" she said in surprise.

There was a man named Deidara sitting farther away from her, but she only knew he was a man because she'd run into him before during a fight. If she'd never met him, she probably would have thought he was a chick because his hair was so similar to Ino's, but one closer look at his face would bring out the chiseled features that could only belong to a man.

"I'm sure they know you could beat them to a pulp if they tried anything with you," Itachi said, slightly amused.

Kisame scoffed.

"They know _I_ would shred 'em if they laid a single _finger_ on you," he explained.

Sakura giggled adorably.

"My big strong hero," she teased, moving her hand to poke the back of his head.

"Kisame, Itachi, show her to her room."

The two men nodded and stood, walking to the door with Sakura practically clinging to Kisame. With one final look over her shoulder, she exited the room to follow the two men to her room.

Five minutes later brought them to a new building with long hallways.

Looooooooooong hallways.

And tons of doors. _Dozens_.

Each door had a shiny silver plate with the name of its occupier. She noted the names she didn't know and winced at the names she recognized, that it until she came across Kisame's name before she bumped into Kisame. She muttered an apology before looking around him and at a door with her name on it. She became confused.

"Why is my name already here?" she asked suspiciously.

"I knew you would win," Kisame explained.

She looked at the next door over and saw Itachi's name.

"So I'm between the two of you?"

"Yes," Itachi answered.

Sakura grinned mischeiviously.

"This'll be fun."

"Don't get any ideas..." Kisame said warily.

"That is, unless you know we'll enjoy them," Itachi corrected.

Sakura's grin widened.

She was _so_ going to own their asses.

**_Che, forget _that_. Let _them_ own _our_ ass _first**

Kisame opened the door and walked inside with Itachi. Sakura noted that her room was big. _Really really **really** enormous._

"How does _this_," she gestured to the room, "fit into the tiny space between the doors?"

The two continued walking and Sakura scurried to Itachi's side. She felt like it would take five minutes just to get to the other wall!

"Genjutsu on the hallway," Kisame explained.

Sakura sighed.

"You realize this place is a joke, right?" Sakura said.

"How so?" Itachi answered.

Sakura threw him a skeptical look.

"I felt like I was back in first grade up there," she stated dully.

Itachi chuckled and shook his head, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

"And you thought I was the psycho murderer before you got to know me. It's only an act for the rest of you. Just because Akatsuki is made of criminals doesn't mean we aren't human," Itachi explained. "Well, except for Kisame, of course. Speaking of which," Itachi laughed again and turned his head to face Kisame, "how was she?"

Sakura's brows furrowed. How was she?

_What the hell does _that_ mean?_

Kisame's response was enough to clarify.

He laughed enthusiastically before answering.

"_Loud_!"

Itachi turned to face Sakura again only to see nothing. He stopped and turned to look behind him, finding a tomato red gaping kunoichi. Itachi burst out laughing and hurriedly covered his mouth with his hand. Kisame stopped as well and moved to face Sakura, joining Itachi's outburst.

"That's not," he gasped, "a bad thing!" he forced between laughs.

"For you maybe!" she squeaked. "That's so incredibly _embarrassing_!"

Itachi calmed down first and walked the few steps back to Sakura, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He shoved her against his side and began walking, forcing her to move with him.

"Hey, look on the bright side, at least I know what to expect."

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Chapter 6 complete! Now, sadly, there's only one chapter left!

Chapter 7: That Is SO Not Fair!

Sakura returns from a mission earlier than expected to find the last person she'd expect as a part of Akatsuki.

Sadly, this fight scene was kind of lacking and it most likely will seem completely out of proportion...character...whatever. I know I added more people to Akatsuki and totally detroyed their reputation -grins evilly- but it's MY story and _I_ thought it was funny. Oh well.

Thanks to my reviewers:

Atika  
KakumeiKid  
CastitatisxLilium  
Gama-Kaeru  
loves-winged-dark-angel  
VincentValentine  
warming Sunshine  
CeliaSparrow  
Hija Del Sucio  
Chryseis Wyvernsen  
kakashisninjadogs  
kyuubi-lover  
Kurenai Chinoumi  
Wyvren Wing  
CherryBlossomOfSpring  
Nekotsumemaddi-chan  
Wee-Niss

See you all next chapter! Till later!

Backlash Symphony


	7. That Is SO Not Fair!

Title: Apple Blossom Tea

Chapter Title: That Is SO Not Fair!

Author: Backlash Symphony

Music: "Look At Me Now" by The Faders  
"Miss Murder" by AFI

Summary: They entered silently, trying to stick to their usual plans; ignore everyone and be ignored in return. Usually, the women would blush at the brief view of Itachi's handsome face and cringe at the sight of Kisame. Normally, Itachi would disregard the lustful gazes and Kisame the terrified stares, but one particular roseate-haired waitress changed everything Kisame came to know by simply looking at him and not cowering in fear. Kisa/Saku

Disclaimer: I do not own "Look At Me Now" by The Faders, "Miss Murder" by AFI, and I especially do not own Naruto, for if I did, the show would be called "Sakura".

**

* * *

Text** means thoughts belonging to Inner Sakura

_Text_ means thoughts belonging to Sakura

**_Text_** is Sakura and Inner Sakura thinking the same thing

Text is normal writing

Text means two or more people talking at the same time

* * *

The soft snow drifted down from the cloudy grey sky. The glistening ice crystals swayed on a gentle breeze and landed in the pink hair of one grumpy Akatsuki member. Sakura sighed heavily, glad that the complex with the heat she needed and the men she was looking for were merely feet away. After making sure she put the genjutsu back over the building, she trudged through the thick snow until she reached the entrance. 

She needn't knock for she'd been a part of the 'family' for nearly a year now. The moment she opened the door, heat attacked her shivering body and she hopped inside, slamming the door shut behind her. With snow frozen to her long hair and snow sticking to her cloak, she hurried through the halls to reach her room so she could change into something warmer. That, and she had to find the presents for Kisame and Itachi. It _was_ Christmas Eve, afterall, and no one was expecting her back until two days from now, so it'd be a pleasant surprise.

As she shrugged out of her clothes and into her normal Akatsuki uniform -a black thin strapped shirt that had fishnet covering the bottom four inches of her stomach, a black skirt that came to just above the knee, slit up the sides with a deep crimson colored set of shorts that came to midthigh underneath, and black lace up boots that came up to mid calf- she spotted her present for Miyu, the only other girl who was in the Akatsuki. When Kisame had brought Sakura into the Akatsuki, they had started a new trend.

While on missions, the other members attempted to find a woman who was strong enough to pass the entrance exam as well as fall in love with them. Now, mind you, there were only a few men in Akatsuki that were actually bad-looking. Apparently, Akatsuki was more interested in pretty boys, but some passed through because of their power. Sakura had thought about it and despite the fact that she knew Kisame looked handsome just the way he was, he had probably been a heartthrob in his youth before the demon inside of him emerged and forced the effects onto him, changing his appearance and part of his nature.

Miyu had recently been accepted in Akatsuki and was paired off with Sasori. Yeah, Sakura distinctly remembered killing him but about a week after she had been accepted, he returned from a mission. Let's just say Sakura nearly had a heart attack and spent the next month clinging to Kisame, afraid to be alone in fear that Sasori might try to kill her. She was strong, yes, but even with a group of people's help she wasn't able to defeat Sasori. He _was_ standing right in front of her before her shriek echoed throughout the complex.

Blue hair, red hair. That was that pair.

Blue hair, pink hair. That was _her_ pair.

She found that pattern cute.

Her hands pried the floorboard beneath her bed up and she retrieved three packages and a bag from the darkness, closing up the board when she was done. She had gotten her three friends real gifts and had created little trinkets for the rest of them. And it wasn't easy since there were over 30 members in the Akatsuki organization. She turned to leave the room and headed for the living room. Alright, it wasn't called the living room, but it served the purpose of one. She was surprised to find that they had a very large room filled with soft couches and plush chairs as well as four fireplaces. They called it the lounge.

She remember saying something about the Akatsuki complex being a genjutsu paradise since everything had some sort of genjutsu on it.

The surrounding barrier?

Genjutsu.

The hallways that had doors leading into enormous house sized rooms?

Genjutsu.

The view from the back door that looked like a small backyard?

Genjutsu.

It was actually an orchard.

An _orchard_.

Yup. Genjutsu in the kitchen, genjutsu in the lounge, genjutsu in the cafeteria. Genjutsu, genjutsu, genjutsu.

So when she entered with her three presents, she didn't expect to walk in to a party.

It was Akatsuki. Murderers didn't _have_ parties, remember?

This being her first Christmas here, she had no idea what to expect. She had figured she wouldn't get a present from anyone but wanted to buy one for her closest boys and Miyu anyway. She had figured it would be quiet, maybe a little more than usual since people would be moping around, having no one to share Christmas with.

A group in the far corner shot up from their seats, cheering as two men slammed their now empty glasses of eggnog onto the table.

Sakura's eye twitched.

"Nope. Normal as anyone else," she muttered. "Eggnog chugging, dancing, excited whispers, drunks, yeah, that's Christmas at Akatsuki for ya..." She began to look for her friends when she noticed the wall to the far side. "..._stockings_? Oh, _now_ I've seen _ev_erything..."

She swore lightly under her breath when she saw the enormous pile of wrapped objects in the actual corner underneath the stockings. With a slightly closer look she noticed that they were actually named in see through bags.

_Oh joy. I'll have to sort through allll of that to get these gifts finished..._

But snuggled between Kisame's name and Itachi's name was her name, and her bag seemed to be bigger than the rest, or so it seemed.

_They...got me presents?_

She inhaled a short breath and exhaled as she walked further into the room, shaking her head and searching for Itachi, Kisame, or Miyu. She spotted cotton candy blue first, and headed towards the 20 year old girl, sliding her gift to the top of her small pile. She was going to give the three their gifts directly and put the others in the designated bags. With a tap on her shoulder, Miyu turned around and with a soft smile she nodded to Sakura.

"Merry Christmas, Miyu," Sakura said cheerfully, depositing the thin package into the female's hands. "I've got to find Itachi and Kisame. Have you seen them?"

Miyu pointed to the far corner where the men chugging were and grimaced. She muttered a thanks as Miyu laughed at her expression and moved swiftly to the corner. She spotted the second shade of blue and pulled out Kisame's gift, a wide rectangular box. She waited directly behind Kisame who stuffed a wad of bills he was given into his pocket.

"I thought you said we were going to be _honest_ in our relationship, Kisame," she teased, watching his body stiffen. "You didn't even tell me the Akatsuki celebrated Christmas or that I was going to miss the party while I was on my mission."

The blue skinned man spun around to face the smug looking kunoichi, shock clearly written on his face. He blinked a few times and Sakura laughed, poking him in the chest with his gift. He looked confused for a moment and she smiled kindly.

"Merry Christmas, Kisame," she took his hand and pressed it around his gift.

She gave him a peck on the cheek and watched his stunned look falter.

"And how do you know I even got you something in return?"

She laughed and shrugged.

"I don't, but that doesn't matter to me. I've got everything I could ever want in front of me."

Sakura heard a couple of "aww"s from behind Kisame and she blushed lightly. Itachi walked up behind her and laid his arms over her shoulders.

"You're back early," he said, amused.

Sakura nodded and thrust his present into his face. He darted backwards before she hit him and watched as she spun around, poking him in the chest the same she had with Kisame.

"And _you_ didn't tell me you were going to have a party either!" she huffed.

Her expression quickly changed back and she giggled.

"Now I've got to put these," she shook the bag in her hands, "into their proper places."

She was off to the corner. Within five minutes she had successfully placed each gift in the correct bag and made a move to return to Kisame and Itachi when a loud "I'm back!" followed by "yeah" erupted from halfway across the building. So Deidara was back, too? Sakura smirked and waited for the blonde to appear, and he did in a minute, only he wasn't alone.

Sakura's eyes nearly bugged out her head and her mouth dropped open.

**Oh _hellll_ no!**

"_Ino-pig_!" Sakura cried out, obviously shocked.

The blonde looked pissed at the name and let go of Deidara to beat the person who called her that, but surprise quickly overrode everything as she met eyes with Sakura.

"_Billboard brow!_"

The tension in the air was tangible and anyone sitting or standing between the two girls rocketed from their seats and scrambled to the other sides of the room.

"What are _you_ doing here!"

The two growled at each other and Sakura made a move to step forward, as did Ino, but their respective 'partners' wrapped an arm around their waists. Sakura huffed angrily and glared daggers at the blonde girl who returned each look fiercely.

"Looks like I don't need to introduce the two of you...yeah," Deidara noted cheerfully.

Sakura's glare transferred to him, as did Ino's.

"You didn't tell me _she_'d be here, Dei-kun," Ino complained, nestling into the warmth of Deidara's body.

Sakura nearly gagged.

"Deidara, you're a good-looking guy, as well as an intelligent and creative one. Why on earth would you be so _stupid_ and pick some trash like her? I know you can do better!" Sakura snapped.

Ino gasped and growled low in her throat.

"At least _I'm_ not a _man-stealer_!" she retorted, sticking her tongue out.

"Man-stealer? You never gave a crap about Kisame! You were too busy shoving your cleavage into Itachi's face!" Sakura protested.

"Shark face isn't the one _holding you_!"

**_That's it_**.

"**Don't call him shark face you**...wait, what?"

Sakura tilted her head back and saw two red eyes. She laughed nervously.

"Itachi...where's Kisame?"

Itachi raised a brow and the corners of his lips turned upward.

"Bathroom."

Understanding came over her face.

"Ah. Gotcha."

She turned her head back down.

"So you're with shark face? Figures you couldn't get any!"

"Get any? Ino, do you even realize that life is more about getting laid?"

Ino scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Of course there's more to life! I've got a brain in my head, forehead!"

Sakura snarled.

"I don't have a big forehead anymore!"

"Besides," Kisame's voice said from behind Sakura, "I'm a big guy. Skinny little twigs like you don't interest me. You want something to model after? She's standing right in front of you. Right Itachi?"

Sakura felt Itachi's arm move from her waist and she spun around, wrapping her arms around Kisame.

"I thought you left!" she whined in his ear.

"I hate women who throw themselves at me. Deidara, she's not your type, you know, or am I missing something?" Itachi queried.

Deidara groaned. He had figured this was going to happen.

"Hey, hey, leave off the harsh words, yeah? She's as much my type as cherry over there is Kisame's...yeah."

"But you ruined the pattern!" Sakura whined.

She received confused looks.

"Pattern...yeah?"

"Blue," she pointed to Miyu, "and red," she pointed to Sasori. "Blue," she grabbed a clumb of Kisame's hair, "and pink," she fingered her own hair. "How'd we go from blue and red, blue and pink, to blonde and blonde?"

"Uhh...I never noticed that till now," he chuckled, "yeah."

Sakura let go of Kisame and marched towards the blondes. Ino isntantly took the defensive stance and Sakura shot out her arm in front of her, holding open hand out.

"From now on, neither of us makes fun of the other's choice of male. Name-calling stops here for them _and_ us. No more Ino-pig and no more Billboard Brow or Forehead. Got it?"

Ino scowled at Sakura before sighing and taking her hand. The two shook on it.

"Deal."

"All better now...yeah?"

"Yup."

Sakura moved back to Kisame's side, snuggling against his arm. A clock began to chime, signaling the arrival of Christmas. Sakura gave look shout of approval and giggled happily. She knew she had one gift she could open before the morning arrived when she could open them all. However, she noticed the others moving to their bags and unwrapping one, then two, then three, and Sakura just gawked. Itachi and Kisame nudged for her to move along.

"But, why aren't we waiting until the morning?" she asked, confused.

The two men laughed as the settled in front of their bags, still holding the wrapped presents from Sakura. She knelt before her own bag as well.

"Technically, it's Christmas. So we're allowed to," Itachi explained.

She nodded her head and slowly began to unwrap her presents. One by one, her gifts were opened and she purposely saved Itachi and Kisame's gifts for last. Itachi had bought a dress that she had been eyeing more than once in Mist. Expensive, she had said. Much too expensive for her to be able to afford even if she had been paid greatly at Akatsuki. It was black, halter topped, came to her knees in waves of styled fabric, cut and sewn to make it look unique, with a seethrough red scarf to tie around her waist. She gave him a hug and kiss on the cheek, thanking him for remembering.

Then came Kisame's gift. She opened it was as much care as she had shown with Itachi's and placed the folded paper next to Itachi's. Lifting the top of the box off, her breath caught. A book, but not just any book. It was a leather bound parchment paper book with real gold forming the letters of _her_ name on the cover. It was finely crafted and she opened the cover, unsnapping the clasp. The very first page, written in beautiful calligraphy, said:

To the woman who holds my heart and has shown me what true love is, this is dedicated to you, Sakura, my love.

Kisame.

Sakura felt tears well up and she bit her lip to prevent herself from crying. She flipped to the next page where a short paragraph was written at the top. The rest was blank. As she scanned through the next few pages, she realized they all had some sort of writing on them while the blank yellowed brown of the parchment surfaced blankly on the remaining parts of the page. She noted that there was a black pen tucked neatly in the cover and she realized there was a lump in the back of the book.

She flipped to the back and found a smaller package, about the size of a ring, wrapped in plain white paper. Her fingers slowly picked it up and unwrapped it, and seeing the chain necklace with a ring that would fit one of Kisame's fingers fell onto her lap. Cautiously she picked it up and saw something carved all the way around the outer bit.

Hoshigaki Kisame. Hoshigaki Clan Leader's First Son.

She gave a strangled sob before lurching forward, clinging onto Kisame. The attention of nearly everyone was on her, but she didn't care. She never would either. She cried on him and her other hand reached behind her to hold Itachi's. She gave his hand a soft squeeze. She felt him squeeze back.

"I love you, Kisame," she sniffled, pulling him closer.

The blue skinned man smiled a genuine smile and held her closer to him, whispering those same words back.

"I love you, too."

* * *

TADA! And there you have it folks, chapter 7, the final chapter of "Apple Blossom Tea". I hope you guys enjoyed this as much as I did. Actually, now that I realize it, the last three pieces I've written (including this one) have had crying in them. This chapter, the one-shot I wrote for OrochimaruAnkoJiraiya, and chapter 11 of 'Dirty Little Secret'. Maybe it's a phase? Oh well. You guys like it, right? No need to drop it then. 

Thanks to all of my reviewers:

Atika  
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This story has hit -up to this point- a total of 82 reviews and 3023 hits. You guys kick ass. Did I mention that? Alright. Hope you guys will keep on the lookout for more work from me.

Don't forget to review. Till later!

Backlash Symphony


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